Brilliant "primitivism"
Every nation has its own history, language and culture that identify it. It is from the people that those geniuses come who glorify their native land to the whole world with their activities. Ukrainians are no exception. How many famous artists, writers, singers have come from our people. One of these is the incredibly talented Ukrainian artist, master of folk decorative painting, representative of "folk primitivism" - Kateryna Bilokur. It is not for nothing that the world-famous artist Pablo Picasso called her a genius.
Kateryna Vasylivna combined colors so skillfully that it was difficult to tear herself away from her paintings. She depicted the spiritual beauty of the Ukrainian people on her canvases, picturesquely reproduced nature, but the artist was most impressed by flowers. She painted every leaf, every petal, and stem. An interesting fact is that she never plucked the flowers she painted, because they were believed to be alive, she often called them children. The artist could travel far to paint the flowers she liked. For example, a woman in love with the wonderland of flowers walked thirty kilometers to Pyriatyn to see lily of the valley blooming in the forest.
"And I will draw and draw flowers..."
One of the most important rules for creating paintings was to paint only from nature. According to the author of magical paintings, every flower has a soul, but if you pick a flower, it becomes dead, that is, it loses that important part - the soul, which Bilokur so skillfully depicted with a brush. A flower in the paintings is a phenomenon of life, an unearthly beauty that captivates and enchants the viewer. Often, Kateryna Vasylivna not only reproduced a certain flower, but also artistically interpreted it, added certain elements, which is why the images created in the paintings can be viewed in different ways. In folklore, for example, plants, and especially flowers, embody magical power. They act as a good force that defeats evil, helps people. Undoubtedly, the artist viewed flowers as something extraordinary, an important aesthetic phenomenon.
Kateryna Bilokur noted about her incredible love for flowers: "...And I will draw and draw flowers, because I love working on them so much that I can't find words to express those feelings for their love - my great love!... When I myself start drawing a picture of flowers, I think: when I finish this one, then I will draw something from human life. But by the time I finish, a whole series of pictures will form in my head, one more wonderful than the other, and one more beautiful than the other - and still flowers...".
When the artist was fascinated by the world of beauty, she lost track of time, which is why the paintings depict flowers and vegetables of different seasons. Looking at the skillfully reproduced flowers, the audience seems to physically inhale the intoxicating aroma of flowers, which makes the head dizzy, the fragrance of herbs, which transports them somewhere to a wide field and prompts deep reflections. In the botanical similarity of her flowers and plants, fruits, vegetables, cereals, gifts of her native Bohdanivka, one can guess the dream of the ideal. The lost support is found, which is so important for each of us.
A flourishing legacy
It is interesting that the artist depicts both a blossom and a fruit at the same time. Among the main floral compositions of Kateryna Bilokur we see “Flowers behind a hedge” (1935), “Field Flowers” (1941), “Riot” (1944-1947), “Decorative Flowers” (1945), “Flowers on a Blue Background” (1942-1943), “Peonies” (1946), “Flowers and Nuts” (1948), “Bouquet of Flowers” (1940-1950s), “Flowers, Apples and Tomatoes” (1950), “Vegetable Flowers” (1952) and others. These are paintings that deserve world recognition. Art critics compare the paintings of Kateryna Bilokur with the canvases of the most prominent Dutch artists.
It is striking that on her canvases not a single flower, not a single branch is repeated, that is, the artist creates unsurpassed masterpieces every time. Bilokur's paintings were presented at exhibitions in many cities, including Moscow and Paris. For her outstanding achievements in the field of fine arts, Kateryna Bilokur was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. So, before us is a true genius of Ukrainian fine arts, who captivates with her beautiful paintings, forcing not only to admire her works, but also to think about their meaning.
Author: Maksym Bondarenko.
Write a comment