The artist was born on December 15 into the family of poor peasants in the village of Skoptsy, Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky district in Poltava region (since 1946, this is the village of Veselinovka in the Baryshevsky district of the Kiev region). She was the eldest of six children; attended school two winters, and then worked in the fields of wealthy peasants. Her passion for painting plants, mostly flowers, turned into a profession, connected with painting on cloth. Hanna loved flowers very much, felt them and never broke them.
1883 - 1965
Hanna Sobachko-Shostak
description
A Ukrainian self-taught artist, graphic artist, master of decorative painting. Basing on folk traditions, Hanna Sobachko-Shostak introduced modern sound and elements of fantasy into them. The artist became a Master of Folk Art (in 1936) and a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR in 1939. Her works were highly appreciated abroad, in particular, by Henri Matisse.
Key ideas:
– The famous words of Henri Matisse, “We do not need to learn from you, but we must learn from you, because you have icons and the unique art of Hanna Sobachko” (1916) perfectly characterize the origins of such a phenomenon in Ukrainian culture as the art of Sobachko-Shostak.
– Hanna Sobachko (Shostak after marriage), who grew up on the basis of folk culture, achieved a special decorative interpretation of folk ornaments through her bold avant-garde search. The master created compositions, which have their own variation, despite the fact that they were painted under the influence of wall painting. Hanna built an image on the dominant color spots, flowers and leaves, rhythmically repeating, but different in their configuration and size. The artist seemed to divide the image into elements in order to assemble them in her own way later.
– The master’s characteristic method was to invisibly transform the flower petals into images of birds and fish, insects and fantastic creatures, sometimes people. Everything depicted is intertwined and woven together, evoking associations with ancient teratological ornaments. With the help of color combinations and lines, Hanna achieves the dynamics of movement or balance, while one can clearly feel the presence of something living by its own laws and in its own special world in the picturesque and decorative fantasies.
– As an artist of bright individual self-expression, Hanna created paintings that were accordant with the modernity and at the same time were tightly connected with the folk culture. Turning from traditional painting to decorative graphics, she worked in watercolor and gouache. Her dynamic compositions are characterized by asymmetry, unlike according to the traditions.
– Her drawings with arbitrary, full of fantasy motifs have a wild color, conveying joy, beauty of nature, and love for people. Compositions of the artist’s works are based on color variations and color accents that differ in size and shape. Flowers-birds and flowers-fish, flowers like a rainbow and like a tree of life are whole, where every detail is in its place. Only a person who grew up in a village can most organically create such ornaments, where the motives of live creatures and plants become one idea.
1883
1910
1913 - 1915
1918
1920
1932
1936
1937 - 1939
1940 - 1950
1963 - 1965
1965
The artist was born
A.V. Semigradova invited her to the opening workshop
Local landowner A.V. Semigradova, an avid fan of folk art and patron of the arts, noting the talent of the young peasant woman, invited her to the opening workshop; soon she introduced her to artist E. Pribylskaya, who became the first teacher of Hanna.
“Peasant drawings”
The original sketches of the artist were used to create panels, carpets, embroideries that were presented at exhibitions in St. Petersburg (silver medal), Kiev (gold medal), Paris (1913) and Berlin (1914). In 1915, with the support of leading figures of Russian art, Anna Sobachko’s “peasant drawings” were presented at the exhibition “Contemporary decorative art” in Moscow.
Alexandra Ester organized an exhibition of the paintings
Alexandra Ester organized an exhibition of the paintings by E. Pribylskaya and peasant painter H. Sobachko in Kiev; then she read an informative report at the All-Ukrainian Congress of Artists on the support of folk craftsmen and ways of reviving Ukrainian art.
She worked at the Kiev Artel
She worked at the Kiev Artel; craftswomen used her paintings to embroider carpets and decorative panels; the artist’s works were triumphantly presented at the exhibitions in Moscow (1923, 1927), Germany (1922 – Berlin, 1924 – Dresden, 1925 – Munich), the Czech Republic, Great Britain, and France. In 1923, she married Vladimir Shostak, a peasant from the village of Maskovtsy, gave birth to their son Ivan (she had seven children in total). She began to sign her paintings as “G. Sobachko-Shostak”. From 1925, she was invited to work at Kiev workshops of the Artistic and Industrial Societies of the Union of Cooperation.
The artist worked at the “Exportnabrivtkan”
During the famine, at the request of E. Pribylskaya, the artist’s family received permission to live in the village of Cherkizovo in the Pushkinsky district near Moscow, where the artist worked at the “Exportnabrivtkan” factory until 1941.
She became a participant in the First Republican exhibition
She became a participant in the First Republican exhibition, which was held in Kiev, Moscow and Leningrad. Was one of the first to receive the title of “The Master of Folk Art of Ukraine”.
The works of the artist were exhibited at the International Exhibition in Paris
For participation in the decade of Ukrainian culture in Moscow, she was awarded a prize and received The Diploma of the 1st degree. The works of the artist were exhibited at the International Exhibition in Paris; after 2 years, they were presented in New York. Hanna was accepted to the Union of Artists of the USSR.
The "silence" period of the artist
The “silence” period of the artist. One of her sons died at the front; her husband was seriously ill. The society was not interested in her creativity, so it was very difficult for her to live.
The period of the new “take-off”
The period of the new “take-off” of her talent was marked by good news from her motherland: her early paintings were found; art historians, especially G. Mestechkin, were interested in them. At the age of 80, the artist painted the series “Flowers of Ukraine”; her paintings were exhibited at the Republican exhibition of folk art in 1963 and at the exhibition to the 150th anniversary of T. G. Shevchenko in 1964. In 1965, they were nominated for the state T. Shevchenko prize; an album with photos and text was released.
Hanna Fedoseevna Sobachko-Shostak died
Hanna Fedoseevna Sobachko-Shostak died on the 3rd of December. The whole village said “goodbye” to their “Ukrainian painter Hanna”, covering her way to Cherkizovo cemetery with viburnum. In her village (now it is Veselinovka), there is the Hanna Sobachko-Shostak street.
From October 2008 to January 1009, an exhibition of the paintings of Hanna Sobachko-Shostak was held at the National Museum of Decorative Art of Ukraine to her 125th anniversary.