“The Victory of the Colours of Life over the Darkness of Evil… Dedicated to Prymachenko”.

As part of the celebration of Maria Prymachenko’s birthday (13 January), the Department of Culture and Tourism presents a personal photo exhibition of works by Ivan Sheligatskyi, a pupil of the world-class artist from the Kyiv region: “The Victory of the Colours of Life over the Darkness of Evil… Dedicated to Prymachenko”.

Vasyl Ivanovych Sheligatskyi, a resident of the village of Rozvazhiv in the Ivankiv territorial community, is an artist who studied the art of decorative painting under the People’s Artist of Ukraine Maria Prymachenko. Maria Oksentiivna Prymachenko was a Ukrainian folk artist in the genre of “naive art”, a laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, Honoured Artist of the Ukrainian SSR and People’s Artist of Ukraine. She was posthumously awarded the distinction “National Legend of Ukraine”.

Today, Vasyl Ivanovych continues the “naive art” genre taught to him by his mentor, but although the artist works in one genre and style, his own handwriting and manner of execution are noticeably distinctive.

With the onset of the full-scale war on 24 February 2022, while under occupation, the master, risking his life, did not stop painting, but began to depict his works on a dark background, which differ noticeably in colour palette and theme from the cheerful motifs typical of the author (“Mother’s Tears”, “A Flowerpot in Broken Glass”, “March Night”, “The Predator”, “The Fierce Beast”).

Watch the artist’s interview at the link: Vasyl Sheligatskyi – artist, pupil of Maria Prymachenko