"Jacques Hnizdovsky - In Color and Black & White" to open at The Ukrainian Museum (06/04/06)

"Jacques Hnizdovsky - In Color and Black & White" to open at The Ukrainian Museum

by Hanya Krill

NEW YORK - The works of critically acclaimed painter and printmaker Jacques Hnizdovsky (1915-1985) will be on view at The Ukrainian Museum in New York City from June 11 to August 27. Titled "Jacques Hnizdovsky - In Color and in Black & White," the exhibition showcases a body of work by the artist spanning a nearly 50-year career that had its origins in Ukraine and culminated in the United States.

The canvases and prints in the exhibition range from the early works produced prior to Hnizdovsky's arrival in the U.S., such as "Displaced Persons" (oil, 1948), to the last canvas touched by the artist's brush before his sudden death, the unfinished "Corn" - a work that allows the viewer to observe the creative process employed by the artist.

Just as a number of recent shows in New York City drew attention to the evolution of mature artists' work through numerous stages in their careers, this exhibition surveys Hnizdovsky's evolution into an artist in his prime. Featured will be several examples of his superb woodcuts, among them the cherished rams and sheep, and depictions of still-life objects that often show traces of Hnizdovsky's subtle sense of humor.

This show will also provide a rare glimpse into Hnizdovsky's mid-career, with a sampling of works that were rarely or never exhibited. The pieces are emblematic of a period that was most trying for the artist, both financially and spiritually, but that was also among his most creative.

In "Crucifixion" (oil, 1955), traces of vivid red contrasting with the dark backdrop convey a sense of anguish and foreboding. "Bondage" (oil, 1961) echoes the somber mood, while the shadow in "Darkness" (oil, 1961) is juxtaposed against a ray of light, perhaps the portent of a brighter future.

The colors and style in these early canvasses reflect the influence of artists such as Albrecht Durer, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and El Greco, and hint at the artist's roots in his native Borschiv region of Ukraine, where traditional embroidery is characterized by deep, rich reds and burgundies framed in a lush, velvety black.

"Jacques Hnizdovsky - In Color and in Black & White" celebrates the life and work of this remarkable artist who found fame in the United States but remained deeply attached to the land of his birth. It also marks his recent symbolic "homecoming," which not coincidentally took place on the 90th anniversary of the artist's birth and 20th anniversary of his death.

In 2005 Hnizdovsky's remains were transferred to a cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, where many prominent figures in Ukrainian cultural and political history have been laid to rest.

The significance of this event was captured in the words of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, John E. Herbst: "Jacques Hnizdovsky returns to his homeland, leaving behind him in the United States a rich cultural legacy... . Now citizens of his beloved Ukraine will have an opportunity to appreciate his direct and sometimes amusing images, which often draw upon the life of his native land. Hnizdovsky follows in the tradition of so many immigrants to America who have fused the artistic traditions of their homelands with the energy of the New World to weave a tapestry that enriches all our lives and brings our countries together."

Founded in 1976, The Ukrainian Museum collects, preserves and exhibits objects of artistic or historic merit relating to Ukrainian life and culture in three areas of interest: folk art, fine art and photographic/documentary archives. In the spring of 2005 the museum moved into a new state-of-the-art facility in Manhattan's East Village.

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