Ukranian Modern Artists

Modern and contemporary arts

Yaroslava Kononova

UKRANIAN

MODERN

ARTISTS

At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, the philosophy of postmodernism penetrates Ukraine's artistic environment, artists discover new forms of art for themselves. Artists preferred traditional forms of creativity, among which the undisputed leader was painting.  In this essay, I want to present three of the most popular, creativity and interesting Ukranian artists.

A would like to start from Maria Bashkirtseff.

Bashkirtseva was born in Ukraine, the father, having a high title of the valid councilor of state, owned the huge Gavrontsakh estate in Poltavshchyna. Maria even had a certain Ukrainian sentimentality, emphasizing on the European travel that she arrived not from Russia, and from Ukraine. The girl was very painful, and at ten-year age, mother took away her to Nice. Since then it only three times for a while came to Russia, living constantly abroad and traveling around Europe much. In 1877 she began to visit R. Zhyulian's academy in Paris. In 1879 got a gold medal at a competition of student's works and from now on regularly exposed the pictures which were permanently meeting warm withdrawals of the French newspapers and magazines.

Her works remained a little, almost all of them died in the years of World War I. Democratic moods of an era found reflection in her pictures "Jean and Jacques" (1883), "Meeting" (1884) which was acquired by the Luxembourg national museum. Among the most known cloths - "A rain umbrella", the "Three smiles", "Fall" (all 1883) which are nowadays in GRM. In their masterful painting influence of the teacher Bashkirtseva - the French artist Zh. Bastien-Lenazha is notable, but the choice of plots and motives of the image shows an identity of the artist. While here works were highly appreciated by E. Zola and A. Frans, in the homeland Bashkirtseva's creativity received very contradictory estimates.

Bashkirtseva treats artists whose fate attracts hardly anymore, then their creativity. Since young years she was distinguished aspiration to glory and success. She was very beautiful, knew six European languages, played the grand piano, a guitar, a harp, and a mandoline, possessed an excellent soprano. Since thirteen years to death, Bashkirtseva kept the diary where she with amazing frankness brought all events of the life, the thoughts, and feelings. "I tell everything, everything, all", - she wrote, intending the diary for the press. "Maria Bashkirtseva's diary" was for the first time published in France in 1887, and in 1893, having run already several editions in French was published also in Russia. It imprinted an image of the female artist aspiring, fortunately, to the freedom and creativity which had for this purpose, apparently, all opportunities, but not in time to realize itself.

The greatest Russian writers became engrossed in the reading of her diaries. About its epistolary affair with Guy de Maupassant in 1938 shot the Italo-Austrian film. In Nice, the street is called by her name. The frankness and emotionality of the diary published in three years after her death became an example for a great number of female writers who printed the diaries in the XX century — from Katherine Mansfield to Anaïs Nin.

Allocated with huge energy and will power, she dreamed of an art career, international recognition and improbable fulfillments in the wide world. And not only dreamed but also worked hard on implementation of the intentions. For art, she was ready to offer even love that the passion did not interfere with the implementation of conceived. She persistently studies painting, in two years having completed a seven-year course in the private academy of professor Zhulian.

In her heritage - more than 150 cloths, she became one of the first female artists whose works got to collections of  Louvre.

The destiny presents incredibly generously, - designate its glory of the artist, incomparable singer, - but for some reason ruthlessly quickly and deprives of these gifts. In sixteen tuberculosis was diagnosed, Maria loses a voice, further - hearing. In the diary a set of complaints to inability to self-actualize. It began to write it in 12 years, at first probably only for introspection (which ruthlessness and insight cannot but strike even while it is combined with eternal narcissism) and self-discipline. At some point, literature became only the available creative sphere.

Maria incessantly, to exhaustion worked on the pictures. She, judging by the diary, is tormented by the feeling of a discrepancy between a plan and its embodiment, forcing to look for all new picturesque details, an original manner, and style.

In the immediate environment of the girl, there were no people capable to understand and appreciate her achievements. She wanted to find the interlocutor, authoritative for it, the person to whom she could "take off a hat". And the artist decides to write to one of the best-known contemporaries. So, from a maiden whim, the correspondence which became one of the most interesting documents of the human relations of that era is started.

Maria's choice fell on Guy de Maupassant. They exchanged both compliments, and quite caustic remarks and suspicions. Maupassant was intrigued and asked personal acquaintance.

But Bashkirtseva, without having unmasked, communication tears off. Subsequently, the famous writer will tell that this girl is associated with him with a white rose, a symbol of faultless and spotless perfection.

Knowing that it is doomed ("The doctor told that I will never recover", - with avaricious restraint she writes after a final medical sentence), Bashkirtseva hurries to leave behind a trace and memory. Begins new pictures, works much - and always fixes the states, reflections, experiences on paper. It seemed to it - records at least so demonstrate, - that most of all it reaches in painting.

Bashkirtseva's diary was translated into many languages, both her outstanding contemporaries and later judges enthusiastically spoke of it.

This girl with improbable sensitivity reflected a mood of the time. Spirit of individualism. An idea of the person capable to resist to meanness and imperfection of society.

“I saw only her once, saw only within one hour — and I will never forget it. Twenty-three years, it seemed incomparably younger. Almost small growth, in proportion, put, with beautiful features of a roundish face, with a light-blond hair, with dark, as though the eyes burned by a thought … … Bashkirtseva, at first sight, made so seldom tested impression of a combination of strong will to softness and energy with the charming exterior. Everything in this dear child found outstanding mind".