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For the first time in the United States the extra ordinary paintings of Feodosii Humeniuk will be exhi bited at The Ukrainian Musuem in the New York City, from June 3, 1989 through June 25, 1989. Humeniuk is one of the leading contemporary artists in Ukraine and a prominent member of the non-conformist art move ment of the 1970’s in the Soviet Union. The exhibit consists of seventeen (17) large can vasses on which the artist’s unique talent, as well as his mastery of the painting technique is effectively wed to the themes he employs, which are drawn exclusively from Ukrainian historical past and culture. Feodosii Humeniuk is not a chronicler but an inter preter of his native history, folk art, religious customs and traditions. Symbolism is highly prominent in his paintings, as in an overall degree of romanticism. It is the genius of the artists that allows the deep feelings of nos talgia and unabashed love for his country to project through a highly stylized, geometric, and decorative style of painting. Humeniuk was born on September 6, 1941 in Rib- chentsi, a village in the Vinnitsya Region in Ukraine. When his family moved to Dnipropetrovsk, young Feo dosii was enrolled in a children’s and later in a special ized art school. From 1965 to 1971 he studied at the Leningrad Iliya Repin College of Art, Sculpture and Architecture, from which he received his degree. The ideologically oriented, restrictive and narrow confines of “socialist realism” permeated the educational atmosphere in which the young artist grew and deve loped. However, quite early in his career Humeniuk opted for creative freedom and individual expression. Like many of his peers, he searched for new themes and styles more in line with his personal convictions and ideals. For Humeniuk, his Ukrainian heritage became his inspiration. As an artist, Feodosii Humeniuk came to promi nence when he was one of the organizers of two private exhibits of non-conformist art in 1975 and 1976 in Mos cow. The exhibits, open to the art community, were also viewed by foreigners — visitors to the country, members of the diplomatic corps and foreign press. This was a gallant but dangerous move on the part of the organizers. The Soviet authorities took a dim view of Humeni- uk’s non-conformism and stated through their actions that his works and behavior were unacceptable accord ing to existing set standards. Repressions were levied against the artist. His permit to live in Leningrad was revoked and he was confined to Dnipropetrovsk, an industrial city, closed to foreigners and with minimal artistic interaction. The lease on his studio was taken away and he was publicly ridiculed in the local press. In one of his letters to a friend Humeniuk writes: “I devoted my life to art and never even considered that the time will come when I will suffer because of it. I am not aware of any incident in the history of other nations where an artist was persecuted because of his search for artistic enlightenment, for artistic freedom. I draw my themes from subjects that are familiar and dear to me because I know my people, as well as I know their history and through my art I want to help them.” Since the early 1970’s admirers of Feodosii Hume- niuk’s work have eagerly sought his paintings. Collec tors managed to bring several paintings to the West, where they were shown by his friends in Canada in a series of unauthorized exhibits. From 1985 the tantalizing rays of “glastnost” brought hope to the repressed career of Feodosii Humeniuk, which since then has catapulted into international prom inence. 1988 saw the opening of two major prestigious exhibits featuring the artist’s work — one in the Ethno graphic Museum in Lviv, sponsored by the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR; the second in the State Museum of Decorative and Applied Art in Kiev and sponsored by the recently formed Ukrainian Cultural Fund. The exhibits received maximum publicity through the print and visual media and were massively attended by the public. A number of works by the artist have been included in state collections, among them a series of tempera compositions dedicated to Ukrainian folk customs, which is on display at the History Museum in Pereyaslav-Khmel- nitsky. At the Children’s Hospital and “Ukraina” Hotel in Dnipropetrovsk, Humeniuk’s stained-glass windows and murals grace the interiors. Last year a collection of 17 paintings of Feodosii Humeniuk were exhibited in Canada through the cour tesy of the Ukrainian Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreigners, based in Kiev. The first exhibit was held at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa, in the Fall. The second exhibit opened in January 1989 at the Samuel J. Zacks Gallery, at York Univerity in Toronto. June 4th and June 24th the exhibit will not be open to the public. Федосій Гуменюк. Коляда. 1986. Полотно, олія. 105*110. Feodosii Humeniuk. Carolling (1986). Oil. 105 cm* 110 cm. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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