The exhibition consisting of several dozens painting was presented at the Andrei Sheptytsky National Museum. Ihor KOZHAN, director of the museum told The Day that the paintings for the exhibition were provided by Yosyp Bokshai Transcarpathian Museum, Uzhhorod Museum of Regional Ethnography, and owners of private collections. These genre paintings, landscapes, portraits, and still life pieces have been presented in Lviv for the first time. According to Kozhan, the exhibition of paintings by the Uzhhorod artist, one of the leading representatives of Transcarpathian Art School is valuable also due to the fact that Bokshai taught at the Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts (now Lviv National Academy of Arts) for six years (1951-57).
Despite the fact that Bokshai (1891-1975) was not born in Uzhhorod he is referred to as the great resident of Uzhhorod because he loved this city and lived there for 56 years.
Bokshai was a very prolific artist – he created over 1,000 paintings. His favorite season was fall. The relatives of the artist say that when leaves began to turn yellow and red, Bokshai would spend all of his free time on plain airs, would go to the mountains on his own, or would just go to his favorite parts of Uzhhorod. Bokshai had the greatest pleasure in painting the Uzhhorod Castle, Pidzamkovy Park, Botanical Garden, and the city center. His family members also remember that before Bokshai got down to painting he put a little cross in the corner of the canvas and that he never drove a car because he wanted to see landscapes and not the road.
The exhibition was brought to Lviv by artist Frantsisk Erfan, Bokshai’s grandson. Erfan is the director of the Zakarpattia Oblast Museum. At the opening of the exhibition Efran noted: “In paintings created by Bokshai there is always sunlight and warmth. Therefore, every visitor who came to see the paintings can draw positive energy from them, get aesthetic and moral satisfaction.”
Exhibition of paintings by Yosyp Bokshai is open at the Lviv National Museum (Svobody Ave., 30) until October 21.
