Maria Prymachenko’s paintings were almost destroyed by Russian forces. Now they become global symbols of peace

Not only is Maria Prymachenko one of the great self-taught artists of the 20th century, but she is an icon of Ukrainian national identity. His fantastic paintings, praised during his lifetime by Pablo Picasso, are now in some of the most important museums in the country. His work has also been featured on postage stamps and his likeness is immortalized on commemorative coins.

“A heroic man managed to keep the paintings away from the fire,” lawyer Natalia Gnatiuk, one of the foundation’s partners, said by phone from western Ukraine, where she took refuge. “There are 14 of them, but they are still not safe.” (Two ceramic works are said to have been destroyed, however.)

“After this war is over, this is the first heroic story we will tell,” she added.

“They hate our culture”

Prymachenko’s paintings are considered a leading example of European “naive art”, a term used to describe the work of artists without formal training. Born into poverty in 1908, the painter had humble beginnings to earn the prestigious title of People’s Artist of Ukraine in 1970, when the country was under Soviet control.

Although best known in his home country, Prymachenko’s work has been shown in cities across Europe during his nearly six-decade career. In 1936, after visiting an exhibition of his paintings in Paris, Pablo Picasso is said to have declared: “I bow before the artistic miracle of this brilliant Ukrainian”.

Paintings by Prymachenko on display at the Mystetsky Arsenal art gallery in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2016. Credit: Efrem Lukatsky/AP

But while Prymachenko attracted significant international attention, his work was firmly rooted in Ukrainian aesthetics. Having learned folk arts like embroidery and Easter egg decorating before starting to paint canvases in the 1930s, she was heavily influenced by Ukrainian craft traditions, as well as its folklore, wildlife and traditional designs. .

“I’m sure it was intentional,” she said. “It was the first building (destroyed in Ivankiv) and the task of the occupants is to destroy our Ukrainian roots, to destroy our Ukrainian culture – they hate it. And Maria Prymachenko is not only the symbol of Ivankiv… and not only the symbol of Ukraine, but a symbol of the whole world today. I’m sure that was on purpose.

Prymachenko’s work was influenced by Ukrainian folklore, traditional fauna and motifs, as well as religious iconography. Credit: Prymachenko Family Foundation

symbol of hope

As news of the Ivankiv museum attack spread rapidly around the world last week, activists and arts organizations abroad sought to publicize Prymachenko’s work as an act of solidarity. In particular, his 1982 painting “A Dove Has Spread Its Wings and Asks for Peace” – although not part of the collection of the unfortunate museum – is gaining traction as a symbol of hope for the country.

At a rally in San Francisco on Sunday, six artists and more than 100 attendees recreated the image as a 23-foot-wide floor mural outside the city’s Ferry Building. The message “Stop the war on Ukraine” was painted in blue just above.

In San Francisco, artists and activists produced a mural based on Prymachenko’s “A Dove Has Spread Its Wings and Asks for Peace.” Credit: David Solnit

“The Russian war in Ukraine is trying to destroy the culture, so what we could do is make it bigger and global,” said arts organizer David Solnit, who helped coordinate this latest initiative, during a talk. ‘a telephone interview. “They may burn the museum down, but we’re going to expand it and come back. It’s a desire to show some love and solidarity with Ukraine.”

Depicting a white dove against a vibrant floral background, the painting communicates both a universally recognized symbol and a message specific to Prymachenko’s country of origin, Solnit added.

“It’s a global sign of peace, not war, but very much in the traditional Ukrainian style,” he said. “The beauty of Ukrainian traditional arts has captivated many people here.”