Postscriptum dreams

Sasha Putria is a young artist from Poltava, who died of leukemia in 1988 at the age of 11. However, she managed to leave behind a rich artistic legacy: 2,279 artworks – 46 albums with drawings, cartoons and poetry, embroidery, handmade toys and much more. Her art work is known in the world: in the time between 1989 and 2005 112 of Sasha’s solo exhibitions were held in ten countries. Today, people in 50 countries had a chance to see her art work. Several documentaries were made about the girl. There was also published a documentary novel Sasha Putria.

“A year before the birth of our daughter I had a dream that predicted the birth of Sasha,” said Yevhen Putria at the Indian Cultural Center during the presentation of the joint exhibition of his art work and art work of Sasha. Paintings of Yevhen Putria are recoded dreams in which he saw his daughter.

In 24 years Yevhen had more than a thousand dreams about his daughter, but the idea to sketch his night dreams appeared not right away. According to Yevhen, he wanted to do something nice in memory of his girl. “Before Sasha died she told me – don’t paint things that could be unpleasant to me. I then wonder what she meant by saying that. The answer came rather quickly – Sasha didn’t want me to paint her illness. Then I decided that I would paint the dreams… I am sure she likes it,” said Yevhen Putria.

Sasha was born to an artistic family and this sure influenced her worldview. Her dad was an artist and her mother was a musician. At the age of three the little girl started painting. When Sasha got sick, new topics appeared in her painting – God, universe, extraterrestrial life… Another dominant topic in her art work was India and Indian motifs. Sasha fell in love with an Indian actor Mithun Chakraborty and devoted a great number of her paintings to him. Thanks to the assistance of the Embassy of India Chakraborty has recently found out about the feelings of the young girl. He was so moved by the story of a young artist and sent a letter to Sasha’s parents, where he wrote a phrase addressing the girl: “I love you just as much as you loved me.” In 2011 Sasha was posthumously received “The Nehru Bal Samitti Award” for her love to India. Indian Ambassador Rajiv Kumar Chander said that the Committee’s decision can be considered unique: “Usually this prize is given to children who are still living among us. In the case with Sasha the award was conferred, we can say, postscriptum.”