ART SCENE: Works by Makarenko and Kapschutschenko at The Ukrainian Museum (10/04/98)

ART SCENE: Works by Makarenko and Kapschutschenko at The Ukrainian Museum

by Marta Baczynsky

NEW YORK - On Sunday, October 11, following a summer hiatus, The Ukrainian Museum will open its fall season of activities with an exhibition of the art works of Volodymyr Makarenko and Petro Kapschutschenko. Featured will be paintings and sculptures of these noted Ukrainian artists. The exhibition opening is planned for 2 p.m., and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception. The works of Messrs. Makarenko and Kapschutschenko will be on view at the museum through October 25.

Messrs. Makarenko and Kapschutschenko (Enko) are artists who have in their individual creative expressions produced art that has been admired and respected in many parts of the world.

Mr. Kapschutschenko was born on September 27, 1915, in Ukraine. In 1940 he graduated form the Dnipropetrovsk art school where he studied sculpture. He worked as a sculptor for several years and as a creator of theatrical decorations.

In 1943, while Ukaine was under German occupation, Mr. Kapschutschenko was sent to Germany to work as part of a forced labor contingent. After the war he lived in displaced persons camp, and in 1949, immigrated to Argentina.

It was difficult to make a living and there was little time or energy left for the pursuit of his art. However, Mr. Kapschutschenko continued to sculpt, refining and perfecting his craft, and utilized every opportunity to take part in art exhibitions.

As his work became known, Argentineans appreciated his creative ingenuity and he quickly gained recognition within the art circles of their country. One Argentinean art historian said the following about Mr. Kapschutschenko: "The works of Enko, this exceptional artist, remind us of the art of ancient Egyptians with their concept of the immortality of the soul ... His works come alive before the viewer, they tremble with feelings, they embody the spirit and the integrity of the great artist." For his artistic excellence and contribution to the culture of Argentina, Mr. Kapschutschenko was presented with an honorary membership in the Free University of the Humanities in Buenos Aires.

In l963 he came to the United States where he continued to work in his craft and to exhibit in various art museums and galleries. Mr. Kapschutschenko infused each of his pieces with the dynamics of life, creating bronze and clay figures and scenes reflecting the timber of the time - lyrical or full of discord. He created sculptures of heroic historical figures, as well as of figures or theme works from Ukrainian folk culture. Among his more notable works are the memorials to Princess Olha and to Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivsky, which are found on the grounds of St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in South Bound Brook, N.J.

In 1996 Mr. Kapschutschenko exhibited his sculptures for the first time in Ukraine in the Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv and later in several other museums throughout the country.

Mr. Makarenko was born in 1943 in the village of Pushkarivka. He studied art in Dnipropetrovsk and in Leningrad, where he became affiliated with a group of non-conformist artists called "Petersburg." From 1973 until he immigrated to the West in 1980, Mr. Makarenko lived and worked in Estonia, where he was a frequent exhibitor in art shows. He received the first prize for one of his works in the biennial of graphic art in Yugoslavia in 1975, and in 1976 he exhibited his paintings in an individual exhibit in Paris.

Mr. Makarenko's association with the non-conformists, as well as his familiarity with the creative processes in the West gave him the impetus to forge ahead and seek his own ways of expression. Surrealists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Picasso and Marc Chagall had a great influence on Mr. Makarenko's work, as did the Renaissance artists and Ukrainian painters of the 19th century. Hence, his paintings are elegant intellectual and emotional puzzles that draw the viewer in as deep as he will allow himself to go.

The artist sees the world through his feelings and emotions. These he places on the canvas with impeccable technical mastery, in images that are symbolic of things and emotions that are real to him. The metaphysical and the abstract are important factors in Mr. Makarenko's paintings and the element of time is not an accountable or measurable fact, but is often superimposed on itself, where several activities are occurring in different time spheres.

Mr. Makarenko's paintings are comparable to lyrical poetry. The resonance emanating from his work is a harmonic tonality, that aside from a measure of sadness, is always uniformly calming. Aesthetically seeking perfection, Mr. Makarenko shuns the brutality and discord of the modern world and hides within the confines of his own fantasy, his own feelings.

The artist's application of color is akin to his harmonious theme presentations. Mr. Makarenko utilizes warm earth tones and, although the colors are intense, they are never loud or overbearing. His canvases never reveal brush strokes or the imprints of the spatula. He covers the entire surface with shellac, which is reminiscent of the techniques used in the creation of traditional icons.

In his paintings Mr. Makarenko interprets Ukrainian history and traditions, but in ways that are unusual. He never proposes standard Ukrainian symbols in any of his works, but creates his own symbols that represent the landscape of his native Ukraine, wheat fields, the black soil of the land. In many compositions the artist includes writings, either of Ukrainian writers and poets, or simply his own.

The exhibition of the works of Petro Kapschutschenko and Volodymyr Makarenko was organized by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America Branch 67 in Philadelphia. Each year the branch invites the community to celebrate "Ukrainian Museum Week," which not only raises funds for the museum, but also introduces the institution and its work to new audiences. The above discussed exhibition is this year's main feature of the traditional event. Before coming to The Ukrainian Museum in New York City, the exhibition will be on view at the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center in Philadelphia on October 2-8.

For information about the exhibition at The Ukrainian Museum, please utilize the following: The Ukrainian Museum, 203 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003; telephone, (212) 228-0110; e-mail, [email protected]; website, http://www.brama.com/ukrainian_museum.

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