Numismatic version of Gogol
On the eve of Mykola Hohol’s 200th birth anniversary the national Bank of Ukraine introduced a five-hryvnia coin into circulation. The portrait of the writer is well known and recognizable, while the embroidered shirt he has on is an unexpected creative decision of the coin’s authors: Volodymyr Taran and Oleksandr and Serhii Haruk. Nobody has ever portrayed the writer that way before.
“We strived to express our own vision of Nikolai Gogol [Mykola Hohol],” said Volodymyr TARAN to The Day. “He is a controversial figure; a lot can be said about him. But, frankly, we are tired of the debates on whether he was a Russian or Ukrainian writer. In view of these arguments, we wanted to emphasize that Gogol, indeed, lived in Russia, but his soul was Ukrainian. Proof of this is found in his books that depict his fellow countrymen with warmth, love, and kind irony. He demonstrated his understanding of our national character and ancient traditions…
“The embroidered shirt was instrumental in placing emphasize on the writer’s Ukrainian soul, although there aren’t any known portraits in which he wears an embroidered shirt.
“Several groups of artists submitted their sketches for the contest. Our sketch won, probably, due to this unexpected item, the embroidered shirt. It places Gogol in the context of Ukrainian culture and the Ukrainian world.
“We also took part in designing two anniversary postage stamps. One features Gogol, while the other, a scene from his Taras Bulba.”
Mr. Taran, what can coins and postage stamps tell about a nation?
“In the early years of Ukraine’s independence, when Ukrainian coins started to be minted, their sets sold fairly slowly. Nowadays, although their variety and numbers have increased, the coins sell like hot cakes. It speaks of the considerable interest on the part of national and foreign collectors. An acquaintance of mine buys silver or golden coins as birthday presents for her friends to avoid presenting them with something banal. It is becoming fashionable to present Ukrainian coins as gifts.
“A lot of coins that can promote our history and culture both within the country and abroad are minted in Ukraine. Take, for example, the UNR Activists series. Ukrainians do not know much about the historic figures of this period. That is why it is important that every new coin and the figure or historic event it is dedicated to receive more media coverage. What concerns postage stamps, their promotion is better organized, especially on the international level.”
Mr. Taran, what was the coin that brought you victory at the 2009 International Coin Design Contest in Japan?
“It was the coin dedicated to the millennium anniversary of minting in Kyiv. To my mind, the world would rather see our very own face without any borrowings. Our team was watching the contest carefully. Actually, it is the coins with national coloring that win at such contests. Our Ukrainian history is rich in personalities and events worth being displayed on coins.”
