Crystallization of Ukrainian history

An exhibit of works by the celebrated artist Ivan Ostafiichuk, a representative of the Lviv school of painting, opened on Feb. 7 at the Kyiv Literature Museum. The event was much discussed even before it began because Ostafiichuk’s works have been nominated for the 2007 Taras Shevchenko Prize. The exhibit served as a traditional review of nominated works by members of the Shevchenko Prize committee.

But that was not the only reason for the spirited discussions. People know, love, and buy Ostafiichuk, whose many friends and admirers came to take a look at his new paintings. It was especially gratifying to observe that some of his rivals attended the exhibit, including fellow nominee Andrii Chebykin.

The exhibit features Ostafiichuk’s works of the last five years: “Requiem,” dedicated to the kobza players of Kharkiv, who were executed in Soviet times; “Strontium Road,” related to the Chornobyl theme; “Saga of the Boikos” and the “Paris” series. All these works are passionately emotional and mood-reflecting. Some attract attention by their brilliance, others by their harmonious colors. All of them are enthralling, and visitors look at every painting for a long time.

“Ostafiichuk is an incredibly Ukrainian painter, although you will not see any Ukrainian ornamentation or ethnography in his works,” says writer Mykhailo Slaboshpytsky. “He creates the Ukrainian myth instead. Taras Shevchenko created a wonderful myth of Ukraine. Ostafiichuk’s pictures reflect the entire history of Ukraine. First, I would call his oeuvre a crystallization of Ukrainian history. Second, in this exhibit I have seen a different Ostafiichuk, and I attend all of his exhibits. For a long time I knew him as a phenomenal book graphics artist (awards at the III Biennale of the European Plate in Baden-Baden, Germany (1983); the International Quadriennale of Small Form Engravings in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia (1981); Exhibition of Soviet Graphics in Bologna, Italy (1980) — Ed.), and now I have seen an excellent painter. I cannot even treat Ivan objectively, I simply adore him.”

“I have known Ivan since he was young,” Larysa Kadyrova, a member of the Shevchenko Prize committee, said. “At the opening of the exhibit he remembered me coming to his workshop, wrapped in a flowered shawl. I replied jokingly that he remembers lines and colors in space, but does not remember who it was. Ivan is very talented. He can really feel the world in colors and lines. He can paint full-color pictures and black-and-white works, and the lines are so emotionally intertwined. What is also important is that the painter feels the country in which he lives and works. I wish him the very best. Whether or not he receives the award (there are strong contenders this year), Ivan Ostafiichuk has made a name for himself in Ukrainian painting.”