Speakers at the Hnizdovsky reburial (01/01/06)

Speakers at the Hnizdovsky reburial

Among family members and friends, official representatives and guests speaking at the reburial ceremony of the late Jacques Hnizdovsky held November 5, 2005, at Lviv's Lychakiv Cemetery as well as at the opening of the Jacques Hnizdovsky commemorative art exhibition held at the National Museum of Lviv, were the following:

Official representatives at the reburial ceremony at Lychakiv Cemetery from the sphere of Ukrainian culture included National Deputy Mykola Zhulynsky, vice-chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Culture and National Deputy Mykhailo Kosiv, both of whom addressed the gathering and extended commemorative greetings from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. The poet Ihor Kalynets, a member of the 1960s generation of Ukrainian poets, spoke of the significance of the work of Jacques Hnizdovsky for Ukrainian culture. Iryna Romaniv addressed the gathering in her capacity as deputy head of the Lviv City Council. The speakers were introduced by Ihor Havryshkevych, director of Lychakiv Cemetery.

As part of the reburial ceremony, Yakiv Hnizdovsky, a nephew of the late artist, who hails from Chernihiv and is an artist himself, sprinkled soil from the gravesite of the artist's parents, who are buried in the family's ancestral village of Pylypche, onto the urn and reburial site. He also extended words of gratitude to all assembled on behalf of Mrs. Hnizdovsky and Mira Hnizdovsky.

Among speakers at the opening of the commemorative art exhibition of Hnizdovsky's work at the National Museum of Lviv was Ihor Kozhan, director of the museum, who underscored the significance of Hnizdovsky's work as an internationally recognized artist. In his remarks, Mr. Kozhan also acknowledged the generous financial support for the exhibition provided by the United States Embassy in Kyiv.

Lisa K. Heller, cultural attaché at the U.S. Embassy, addressing the gathering in Ukrainian, spoke of the defining characteristics of Hnizdovsky's work and his contribution to the field of graphic art. Ms. Heller also read the text of a statement by Ambassador John E. Herbst to mark the solemn and significant occasion.

Mr. Ferencevych, a personal friend of the artist, shared an interesting insight provided by the artist himself into his work, by reading the text of Hnizdovsky's address, delivered at an exhibition of his work in 1984 in Washington, in which the artist responds to a query as to why, in his work as a whole, the human figure is almost non-existent and the dominant images are those of plants and animals.

The official part of the exhibition opening ended with Mr. Kozhan reading the text of telegrams sent by Les Taniuk, head of the Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Spirituality; and Natalka Mytsay, director of the Hryhoriy Skovoroda Museum in the village of Skovorodynivka, Zolochiv region, Kharkiv oblast.

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