Edutainment > Contemporary Art in Ukraine

With the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union, contemporary art from Eastern Europe has suddenly stepped into the focus of the international art world. Museum shows and gallery exhibitions are now bringing Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Romanian or Polish artists and their works to our attention. And it is amazing what we see. The times when art from these countries was associated with socialist realism are gone since the perestroika in 1987.

History

Odessa has been a center for arts for centuries. In 1860 the Society of South Russian Artists was founded and became known as the Odessa Drawing School. Many of the artists who began their academic training at the Odessa Drawing School, continued their studies either in St. Petersburg or in Moscow.

In 1899 the Odessa Art Museum was opened on the initiative of the local Society of Fine Arts. The museum hosts a large collection of Russian and Ukrainian paintings and drawings.

The Odessa Drawing School accounts for several generations of artists and many famous names. In the early years of the twentieth century, artists from Ukraine played a major role in the development of modern art. Wassily Kandinsky who should become the "father" of abstract painting, received his first art lessons at the Odessa Drawing School. Malewich, Tatlin and Exter are other well known names from this period.

Even during the rule of the Soviet Union, Odessa never ceased to be an important center for the fine arts. Archipenko and Burliuk are two artists who in the sixties managed to escape from the ideological style of Soviet rule.

The Social Status of Artists in Ukraine

The art institutions of the former Soviet Union provided excellent academic art training. Thus contemporary artists from Ukraine have a high level of craftsmanship in common.

Under the communist rule "official" artists could make a living within the system of state commissions. Once they were accepted as artists by the state institutions, they did not have to worry too much about their income - modest but guaranteed. That has become radically different now. Artists have to fend for themselves and find their way how to make a living with art.

by Georgij Pawljuk
copyright Georgij Pawljuk

After the perestroika quite a few artists left the former Soviet Union and went to the USA, Germany, France and other countries hoping to find better chances to promote their art. With the independence of Ukraine, this process of artists' emigrations came to a standstill. Artists like Nikolaj Prokopenko live in Odessa and exhibit with established galleries like Braun Kunsthandel from Wuppertal in Germany. Lately many artists from Eastern Europe have discovered the Internet, established art web sites and try to sell their works online.

Emerging Artists

Victor Sapatow in his Studio

There are presently two basic art movements in the former Soviet Union. The first is centered in Moscow and the second one in Odessa. The "Moscow movement" is characterized by a surrealistic and sober style. Also stylistic elements from the old tradition of icon painting are frequent.

The "Odessa movement" is quite different. Their style is more fauve-like, expressionist and sometimes impressionist. Paintings from the Odessa School are often exuberant with light.

Here are a few artists who have gained some International reputation and whose works are representative for the "Odessa movement".

• Nikolaj Prokopenko - born 1945
  
  Nikolaj Prokopenko was born, lives and works in Odessa. His style is marked by vivid colors, subjects of sensual women in buxom shapes and a touch of symbolism. His preferred color is red. Prokopenko's paintings reflect a nearly Mediterranean atmosphere.
  
  The works of Nikolaj Prokopenko are found in museums in Russia and the Ukraine as well as in private collections all over the world.

• Victor Sapatow - born 1952
  
  Victor Sapatow graduated from the Odessa Art Academy in 1977. Since then he exhibited in several group shows in Baltimore, Japan, Italy and Berlin. His paintings are in private and public collections in the former Soviet Union, Japan, Australia, Great Britain, Switzerland and Germany.

• Galina Pawljuk - born 1955
  
  Galina Pawljuk was born with art in her veins. Both her grandfather and her father were painters and taught at the Odessa Art Academy. Galina Pawljuk's paintings show impressionist influences. Galina Pawljuk takes regularly part in International exhibitions in Europe and Northern America.

• Orest Sleschinsky - born 1930
  
  Orest Sleschinsky graduated from the Odessa Art Academy in 1965 and later from the Academy in St. Petersburg - then called Leningrad. His works are in Russian and Ukraine museums and in Western private collections.

• Adolf Losa - born 1931
  
  The painting style of Adolf Losa is similar to the one of Orest Sleschinsky with whom he shared the same academic art training in Odessa. Adolf Losa exhibits regularly in Ukraine and had several group and solo exhibitions in Western Europe, Japan and Canada.

• Eugen Morosow - born 1918 in Odessa
  
  In his youth Eugen Morosow was deeply influenced by the nature of the South in the surroundings of Odessa, his hometown. These natural elements were later reflected in his still life and his landscape paintings. The contact with painters like Sinitzkij and Scheljuta from the Odessa drawing school had helped Eugen Morosow to develop his own style. Eugen Morosow's works had great success and were shown in numerous exhibitions.

• Valentin Mazkewitsch - born 1937 in Odessa
  
  Valentin Mazkewitsch graduated from the Odessa Art Academy in 1961. Since 1962 the artist has taken part in different regional, national and international exhibitions. Mazkewitsch belongs to the group of "silent" painters. Modest in his character, he does not comment his paintings much nor is doing anything to promote himself. His paintings have a quiet charm of their own. When asked about his works, he says, that he does not want to scare people with subjects that make you feel uneasy. The paintings of Valentin Mazkewitsch transfer a sense of subtle cheerfulness to the spectator.

• Wladimir Wlassow - born 1927 in Odessa
  
  Wladimir Wlassow is a graduate of the Odessa Art Academy (1947) and the Surikow State Academy of Fine Arts (1953). He exhibited in 60 exhibitions in the former Soviet Union and had several International exhibitions in Germany, France, Italy, Finland, Hungary, Bulgaria and the USA. His works are in museums in Moscow, Kiew, Odessa and other Russian cities and in private collections in Europe, Japan and in the USA. Since 1992 his works have been shown in Germany in different galleries such as Galerie Kontraste in Düsseldorf, Galerie Raum und Kunst in Hamburg and Kunsthandel Braun in Wuppertal.

• Vitalij Mursalowitsch Alikberow - born 1944 in Ukraine
  
  Alikberow graduated from the Odessa Art Academy in 1976 and the Kiew Art Academy in 1984. In the same year he was hired by the Odessa Art Academy as a teaching professor. He won several prizes in a number of exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Kiew and Odessa.

• Nikolaj Owsejko - born 1954 in Ukraine
  
  Nikolaj Owsejko belongs to the younger generation of Ukrainian painters. He received his academic art training at the Odessa Academy of Theater and the Fina Arts from 1969 to 1973. Since 1975 Nikolaj Owsejko takes part in national and International exhibitions. His art work has been shown in Germany since 1993.

• Albin Gawdsinskij - born 1923 in Odessa
  
  Albin Gawdsinskij is a graduate of the Odessa Art Academy. His teachers were Krajinew, Berschadski, Muzelmacher and Parcher. In 1960 he founded the Gallery Museum of the town community of Nowaja Kachowka by donating 337 of his works.

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