European vector of the “Following the paths of national elite”

Visits to the extreme west of the country are the second journey made by the group of renowned artists of Ukraine, including Leonid Bernat, Oleksandr Bielozor, Yevhen Hula, Viktor Semeniak, Mykhailo Rudenko, Artem Kopaihorenko, Oksana Meshkova, who, together with musicians, journalists, and photo artists, were united by Liudmyla Hararuk, Den’s long-time friend and partner, and Iryna Oliinyk for their project “Artistic Expedition.” The purpose of the project “Following the path of national elite” is return to undeservedly forgotten symbols of Ukrainians, giving an impetus to understanding of the origins of statehood and uniting of the national elite.

The first artistic expedition was successfully held in September this year in the north of Ukraine, along the route Kruty – Baturyn – Hlukhiv. Almost every corner of the last Hetman capital Hlukhiv is breathing with history: here in the main sacral building of then Ukraine, St. Nicholas Church, Ivan Skoropadsky, Danylo Apostol, and Kyrylo Rozumovsky vowed not to dishonor the mace; here Pavlo Polubotok planned to revive the autonomy of Ukraine, and traitors were supposed to anathematize Ivan Mazepa. The example of famous Hlukhiv residents, Tereshchenko brothers, who in their lifetime were the greatest sugar boilers in Ukraine, is the best proof of the perishability of material things and eternity of art. For hardly anyone remembers that time’s sugar producing factories, whereas the architectural masterpieces, such as St. Anastasia Church with unique Kozelets baroque iconostasis, the Church of Nativity of Virgin Mary have brought their names through centuries. In this city, which is scarcely known to most of average Ukrainians today, musicians Maksym Berezovsky, Dmytro Bortniansky and artist Anton Losenko created their timeless works, and the steps of Hryhorii Skovoroda, Artemii Vedel, Heorhii Narbut, and Fedor Ernst are still echoing.

The result of intellectual-emotional open-air session in Hlukhiv was a number of paintings the authors have brought to show in Uzhhorod. The center of the exposition is Yevhen Hula’s work Talk, which has become a symbolic reference to the art group’s routes. Amidst the pastoral autumn landscape the Kruty university column is rising (the work by Mykhailo Rudenko, Field near Kruty) and in the house in Motronivka eternally young Hanna Barvinok is waiting for her Kulish (Viktor Semeniak, I will be waiting for you). The unofficial symbol of Hlukhiv, the town water tower, from which the city can be viewed clearly, is depicted in Yevhen Hula’s picture Spring symbol.

Old-time and modern Hlukhiv looks at us from the works by Artem Kopaihorenko and Oleksandr Bielozor. All works from the Hlukhiv open-air session which were on display at the halls of Bokshai Zakarpattia Artistic Museum, were praised by the visitors.

Immediately after arrival in Uzhhorod, the participants of the expedition learned for the first time its 1,000-year-long history, went on an excursion across the ancient center in the company of Doctor of History Serhii Fedaka, visited Horiany Rotunda, Nevytsky Castle, visited the oblast history museum in Uzhhorod Castle and open-air museum on the territory of Zakarpattia Local Lore Museum, attended the holiday of young wine “Transcarpathian Beaujolais.” The communication of the intelligentsia and local authorities, organized by the patron of the Uzhhorod tour of the expedition Myroslava Roman, was informative and emotionally elevated. On the whole, all the patrons of the action should be thanked: the studio of jewelry design HARARUK and Education and Culture House “Master Class.”

“Artistic expeditions” in Uzhhorod have coincided with the festival of classical and modern music “Music constellation of Transcarpathia,” which is held for 14th time by the head of the Transcarpathian Center of the Union of Composers of Ukraine Viktor Telychko. The virtuoso performance by the ensemble Kyiv soloists, including Kateryna Boichuk (violin), Vladyslava Kruskal (piano), and Yurii Zbrozhek (contrabass) of the works by Bach, Schubert, Massenet, Skoryk on that evening was a wonderful addition to the artistic aura of the ancient city.

The participants of the traveling open-air session used the opportunity to make sketches for their future canvases from visiting Uzhhorod and, inspired by impressions, started joint large-scale work, which will soon be shown to the audience. And in the near future the exposition of the works created during the artistic expedition “Following the paths of national elite” is planned to place in the premises of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

At the end of the event a charity auction of the pictures took place. The money raised will be used to support the Ukrainian army. On that evening the canvases Twilight by Oleksandr Bielozor and Autumn in Podil byViktor Semeniak were sold. The people present at the event actively supported the charity initiative of the newspaper Den, “Postcard to the front.” Tens of stylish postcards were bought and signed with warm words of support and will be sent to Ukrainian soldiers in the front.