Nearly 30 works from the series “Voice of My Soul” were presented in the art gallery Mystetska Zbirka in Kyiv. The exhibition will be open until February 19. For the first time after a long break Ivan Marchuk, who has been listed in the “top 100 genius of our time,” decided to open to the public the world of his early creative work (mostly paintings from the 1970s and 1980s).
The main principles of the artist are to be different, not like anyone else. “I was an ordinary artist properly trained – just like all the others,” told he about the beginning of his creative career. “And this definition – ‘just like all the others’ – was very scary for me. I couldn’t stand it.” Thus, he decided that either he would work differently or he would stop doing it at all. After moving to Kyiv in 1965, he began working at the Institute of Superhard Materials. There the artistic gateways “opened up” according to the artists’ story. “When it bursted out of me my hand could hardly keep up with my creative ideas…” Marchuk said that he explored various styles only not to fall into some already existing standard of art. “Often I drew things even if I didn’t understand what they were, the non-standard just kindled my creative nature. I don’t acknowledge any traditions in any hypostasis. Tradition is a cow… It holds thoughts and ideas in captivity. I closed my eyes to all traditions,” explained Marchuk.
Another peculiarity can be noticed in the early works by the artist: along with versatile images emotional feelings can be felt in the paintings. Later they will develop into hard life experiences. Totalitarian system of the Soviet Union tried to squeeze in a strong grip the artist’s individualism. Thus, Marchuk was accused of nationalism, then he was persecuted by KGB and had to emigrate. So the artist tested the power of the totalitarian system on his own skin and remembered that taste very well. This year will mark 75 years since the great terror in Sandarmokh, where following the order from the top rank officials in just a few days thousands of innocent people were shot, including the brightest representatives of Ukrainian intelligentsia. The Day asked the artist about his opinion on whether the society learned its lesson from what happened then and similar tragedies and whether Ukrainian managed to finally escape from the firm grip of dead tyrants. “It does hurt and will still hurt because today the same kind of things happen again and again. We always had, have and will have it as long as there is Ukrainian land. Because our people are slaves. They will tolerate anything. Nobody wants to stand up for himself. The most important is that it is not a tyrant that will destroy them but the black envy,” he said.
Marchuk’s collection today has the total of about 4,500 pictures. “Voice of My Soul” is the core of his artistic conception. “It is like a tree trunk that has branches growing from it,” said Marchuk. There are already ten of such branches: ten time periods, ten different styles and techniques, ten personalities and artists in one person. Today the artist is working on philosophic paintings. However, even after he gained international recognition, Marchuk is still not certain if his native Ukraine needs his golden reserve. Despite numerous promises made by various officials Marchuk still doesn’t have a museum for exhibiting his works in Kyiv.
