Jacques Hnizdovsky at his one-man show at La Maison Francaise of New York University, 1960.
WHIPPANY, N.J. – This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of renowned artist Jacques Hnizdovsky, born January 27th, 1915. To commemorate this centennial, Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, Branch 75, will be hosting an exhibition and sale of prints, drawings, watercolors, oil paintings and tapestries by the late artist.
Jacques (Yakiv) Hnizdovsky spent his early years studying art in Ukraine, continuing his studies in Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts. Political upheavals forced the young artist to relocate to the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, then to a displaced persons camp in Weyam, Germany.
Hnizdovsky immigrated to Minneapolis in 1949. Shortly thereafter, he chose to pursue his artistic career full-time, and moved to New York City, which became his home base for the rest of his life.
“White Swan 2” (color linocut, 1976).
During the 1950s Hnizdovsky experimented with different artistic media, working in watercolors, drawings and terra cotta, in addition to the printmaking, for which he is best known. He started to develop the stylized realism that personified his work, which had not yet captured the attention of the broader art world. Hnizdovsky traveled to Paris, where he met his future wife. While in Paris, he participated in numerous exhibitions and one-man shows, including the Salon d’ Automne du Grand Palais, and was greatly influenced by the city’s architecture and public spaces.
It is fitting that Hnizdovsky’s centennial should fall in the Chinese Year of the Sheep. In 1962 Hnizdovsky’s now-famous print “The Sheep” won first prize at the Boston Printmakers exhibition and launched Hnizdovsky’s career on a broader scale.
Hnizdovsky was a master printmaker, famous for his relief prints made from woodcuts and linocuts. Starting with solid wood or linoleum blocks, he used U- and V-shaped tools to gouge out the areas that were intended to print white, leaving an elevated design that would receive and transfer the ink to the paper.
“Mother” (color linocut, 1952).
Hnizdovsky also produced etchings (intaglio prints), where the desired design was gouged and etched out of a resin-coated metal plate. In contrast to the relief prints, the ink that was transferred to the print came from within the grooved pattern rather than the surface.
Larger woodcuts required weeks or months of carving. Hnizdovsky would prepare five to 10 trial proofs, refining each image, and then proceeded to print an edition of approximately 25 artist’s proofs. The final limited (numbered) edition would contain 100 to 150 prints. He was a prolific artist, creating over 375 prints in his lifetime.
Part of Hnizdovsky’s printmaking craft was in the unique paper that he used for the prints. He favored washi, a Japanese paper that is hand-made from mulberry bark. This refined paper is characterized by its irregularities and, as with raw silk, its beauty lies in these imperfections. One will often find pieces of bark and twigs within a sheet of paper. Despite its appearance of translucent fragility, the paper is very durable.
Hnizdovsky focused on his love of natural history. His subjects were predominantly animals and birds, trees and plants. His most sought-after works are prints of trees, sheep and cats. His work was inspired by Dürer, Japanese printmaking and Chinese brush painting. Hnizdovsky’s artistic style is easily recognized by the harmonious blend of angular and curved geometrics, often with textures developed from repetitions of small patterns.
Another outlet for Hnizdovsky’s art was book illustrations and book cover designs. His best-known Ukrainian book illustrations were for “Slovo o Polku Ihorevi” (The Tale of Prince Ihor’s Campaign) that was published in 1950 in Philadelphia. Two of many illustrated books featuring his artwork are “The Poems of John Keats” and “The Poems of Samuel Taylor.” The entire collection of book covers designed by Hnizdovsky and books illustrated by the late artist was donated to the Slavic and Baltic Division of the New York Public Library in 1986.
When there were small wood blocks left over from his larger works, Hnizdovsky would create small “ex libris” woodcuts that he designed for collectors and friends.
Best known for his prints, Hnizdovsky produced in other media as well. After his death, a large collection of pen-and-ink drawings and several watercolors were discovered in the Hnizdovsky archives. His watercolors, often fruit and vegetable subjects, were never exhibited. Hnizdovsky also designed tapestries, which he commissioned to be hand-woven for him, from hand-shorn, hand-spun, naturally dyed wool.
Once his career was established, Hnizdovsky was recognized in the art world with numerous international awards, exhibitions and publications. His works are found in the permanent collections of museums, galleries and universities throughout the world.
Jacques Hnizdovsky passed away in 1985 at the age of 70. He is buried at the historic Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, across from the tomb of Ivan Franko.
The artist cuts the woodcut “Two Rams” (1969).
UNWLA Branch 75 of Morris County will be sponsoring the centennial exhibition of Hnizdovsky’s art. All the artwork in the authorized exhibit comes directly from the Hnizdovsky estate. Included are woodcuts, linocuts, etchings, drawings and rarely seen watercolors, oil paintings and tapestries. The works will be available for purchase, with the proceeds to support UNWLA Branch 75.
The exhibit will take place on Sunday, March 22, at 1-5 p.m., at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey, 60 N. Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981. Admission is $20 and includes complimentary champagne and hors d’oeuvres.