The Ukrainian sunflowers
Works by Maria Prymachenko from the Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kiev
From an idea by Vittorio Sgarbi
One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Mart presents the first Italian exhibition devoted to Maria Prymachenko, a UNESCO artist in 2009.
A leading figure in naive painting and heir to a centuries-old folk tradition, Maria Prymachenko inspired such great artists as Picasso, Matisse and Chagall.
Her works combine popular culture and modern art, reinterpreting traditional Ukrainian iconography and narrating personal experiences and dreams. With fantastic animals, lush flora and ancestral symbols, the artist redefined popular imagery and made it universal. Prymachenko's work seems to arrive from prehistory, drawing on pagan myths, Christian Orthodox and folk tales from Eurasia, amalgamating Slavic mythology and Russian legends, inspired by the great traditional Ukrainian wall paintings and decorative art.
Her recognisable, lively, spontaneous style has been loved by various generations who have been instrumental in building her myth since the first half of the 20th century.
The exhibition, held at the Palazzo delle Albere in Trento, features about 60 works from the Shevchenko National Museum in Kiev.
Source: www.mart.tn.it
