Hungarian motifs as seen by Galician Ukrainians

“Hungarian Motifs” exhibit at the Palanok Castle offers dozens of works submitted by noted Lviv artists. “Traveling across Europe, Lviv artists often visit Hungary. Many of them have been on repeated plein air tours of that country and the magnificent Hungarian landscapes, tidy urban and scenic rural areas, mountains and hospitable populace have served to inspire these gifted residents of ancient Lviv,” says Gabor Szarvas, chairman of the Society “Lviv Hungarian Culture,” adding that “Lviv, being a capital of the Ukrainian cultural renaissance, is a multiethnic city, with 22 ethnic cultural societies, including ours, that have effectively functioned for the past several decades. The ethnic Hungarians of Lviv are holding their tenth Days of Hungarian Culture and this art exhibit is part of the program.”

The key idea is to offer the viewer a closer look at today’s Hungary, as seen by Ukrainian artists, illustrating how that culture is perceived elsewhere in the world. Many believe that this experimental project has proved a success, considering that the number of works submitted surpassed all expectations of the organizers.

This exhibit represents practically every creative trend in Lviv: canvases, prints, ceramic and curved glass pieces by 27 noted and beginning artists, among them Academician Andrii Bokotei (glass compositions); painters Ihor Shumskyi, Oles Fihol, Olha Huk-Fihol, Mykhailo Bokotei, Yurko Kokh, Petro Starukh, Viktor Zhmak, Serhii Mikhnovskyi, and Mykola Shymchuk; ceramists Stepan Andrusiv and Vasyl Bodnarchuk; graphic artists Cornelia Szigeti, Bohdan Pikulytskyi, Ihor Shumskyi, to mention but a few.

It was organized owing to the dedicated efforts of Deputy Consul General of Hungary in Uzhhorod Vida Laszlo. Toward the end of October, the Hungarian community of Lviv will represent this city at a festival in Budapest, including concerts and an art exhibit. Next year, they will play host to their Hungarian counterparts in Lviv.