This exhibit is the result of plein-air sessions held in the picturesque Polish town of Chelmno (not to be confused with once Ukrainian town of Chelm near our border). Chelmno is a unique town in Polish Pomerania, with almost every object being made of red handmade bricks, which is part of the European Route of Brick Gothic. The town has a number of well-preserved 12th-13th-century German Gothic churches. Besides, Chelmno is called a “town of lovers” because the relics of St. Valentine are kept in one of the temples. It is a true pearl of ancient architecture, a great godsend for architects-to-be. It is here that students at Poland’s higher architectural institutions do their internship and all plein-air sessions. Students of Lviv Polytechnic’s Institute of Architecture have also been taking part in these sessions since 2004.
The exhibit at Lviv Polytechnic displays the best paintings of Polish students with a catalog of winners’ works in 2004-15, as well as works by Lviv students.
Polish Consul General in Lviv, Rafal Wolski, welcomed those who came to the opening ceremony. He confessed that the work of an architect is very close and familiar to him, for his father was an architect. The consul emphasized that the academic community, particularly students, are supposed to do their utmost to strengthen friendship and cooperation between our peoples.
“The computer and the internet are, of course, good things, but the main tool of an architect is a pencil. Unfortunately, there is no more watercolor practice at the institute, and the ‘Drawing and Painting’ course has been reduced by a semester. We in fact travel to plein-air sites during vacations at our own cost (the Polish side only provides us with lodging), but still 20 students agreed to travel to a plein-air session this year. The best professors are training them,” said Oresta REMESHYLO-RYBCHYNSKA, an Associate Professor at Lviv Polytechnic’s Department of Design and Basic Architecture.
“For me it was a serious professional and civic school. I learned to work in the rain and in the blazing sun. I established a friendly relationship with many Polish students and still remain in touch with some of them,” graduate student Marta BRYCH said, sharing her impressions.
Incidentally, the university’s main block is always full of the spirit of Polish painting, for the assembly hall is adorned with a series of canvases, “Triumph of Progress,” made under the supervision of the outstanding Polish artist Jan Matejko.
The Chelmno town hall’s delegation was led by Magda Ludwikowska, Deputy Burgomaster for Education, Culture, and Promotions. The guests were invited to make a tour of the Lviv region’s castles, which was a pleasant surprise for them. They were fascinated with what they saw and expressed a hope that all these monuments of architecture would be duly preserved in Ukraine.
