2024-04-23
Maria Primachenko is a prominent Ukrainian primitive artist. She had inspired such artists as Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso, who had the opportunity to admire her works, displayed during the World Exhibition in Paris, in 1937. Unfortunately, in the face of Russia's war with Ukraine, the artist's works, exhibited before Russia's invasion in the Ivankovskyi Museum of History and National Heritage, have been added to the list of cultural heritage damage.
Primachenko's art is undoubtedly an artistic phenomenon. The woman born to a peasant family, with no formal education in art, was gifted with extraordinary talent and sensitivity, which led to the creation of some of the most famous Ukrainian works. She was inspired by Ukrainian tradition and folklore, affirming national identity. Her works often feature plants, animals, and fantastic creatures. The rich color palette and characteristic contours express the artist's unusual philosophical world view.
Despite the positively evocative colors, the artist's paintings, full of symbolic representations, also take up the difficult subject of the conflict between good and evil. The tragic events of the war did not omit Primachenko who, due to the death of her partner and brother in World War II, abandoned artistic activity for about 20 years. Returning to work in the late 1960s, in the following decades she created works that are exceptionally relevant today. These include the traditional gouache paintings "Atomic War Be Damned" (1978), "Our Army, Our Defenders" (1978) and " The Threat of War" (1986).
A special place in Primachenko's artistic output is occupied by unique images of birds, such as doves, symbolizing goodness, love and peace. Today, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, artists and activists around the world use Primachenko's meaningful art to call for an end of Russia's military hostilities.