CREATIVITY INFUSED WITH SUNSHINE
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of OLEKSANDR MURASHKO
(August 26, 1875, Kyiv – June 14, 1919, Kyiv) – painter, graphic artist, educator, and public figure.
Born out of wedlock, he carried his mother’s surname, Krachkovskyi, until his adoption in 1892. Stepson of icon painter Oleksandr Murashko and nominal nephew of artist and educator Mykola Murashko, at whose Kyiv Drawing School he studied.
From 1909, married to Marharyta Murashko (née Krüger), a Ukrainian educator, artist, and art historian.
1894–1900 – Studied at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts; from 1897, in the workshop of Illia Ripyn (known as Repin in the Russian Empire and USSR).
1901–1903 – Received a Gold Medal for his diploma painting ‘The Funeral of the Koshovyi’ (1900) [The Koshovyi was the head of Zaporizhzhya Sich, was elected by the Sichovs and had the highest military, administrative and judicial power in Sich], earning a creative travel grant to Germany, Italy, and France. In Paris, he painted portraits and scenes of city street life. In Munich, he attended the renowned studio of Anton Ažbe.
From 1904 – Member of the New Society of Artists (Saint Petersburg).
1904–1907 – Lived and worked in Saint Petersburg.
1907 – Returned to Kyiv.
1908 – His painting ‘Carousel’ (1906) won a Gold Medal at the Munich International Exhibition.
1909 – Held solo exhibitions in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Cologne.
1909–1912 – Taught at the Kyiv Art School.
1910 – Participated in the Venice Biennale with the works ‘Sunday’ and ‘On the Terrace’.
From 1911 – Member of the Munich Secession (Münchener Secession, Munich).
1913–1917 – Co-founded a private art studio in Kyiv with Anna Krüger-Prakhova, his wife’s sister.
From 1916 – Member of the Society of Itinerant Art Exhibitions.
1916 – One of the organizers of the Kyiv Society of Artists.
1917–1919 – Co-founder and professor of the painting workshop at the Ukrainian Academy of Arts (Kyiv). Actively participated in exhibitions in Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Munich, and Venice, contributing to the integration of Ukrainian painting into European artistic movements.
1919 – Shot dead by unknown assailants near his home in Kyiv; a tombstone was erected in his honor at Lukianivske Cemetery in Kyiv (designed by Roman Havrylenko and Mykhailo Khimych, supervised by Mykola Storozhenko).
In the collection of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum, there is a painting by Oleksandr Murashko titled ‘GIRL IN WHITE. PORTRAIT OF TANIA YAZIEVA’, oil on canvas, 1901–1902.
In 1988, it was acquired with state funds from the heiress of collector and writer Semen Skliarenko in Kyiv for 15,000 rubles (approximately 25,000 USD).
— Olena Skoruk, museum researcher.
In the portrait of 7-year-old Tania Yazieva, Murashko’s talent as a portraitist—a master of subtle, lyrical, and psychological portraiture—is fully realized. The artist knew the girl well, having watched her grow up, as Tetyanka was his distant relative (the granddaughter of his nominal uncle, Mykola Murashko).
The painter successfully captured in the image of the young girl distinctive character traits—seriousness, resilience, and courage. Despite being a frail child from birth, Tania bravely faced all of life’s challenges. She pursued ballet, an art form demanding intense physical exertion, despite her delicate health. In depicting the child, Murashko avoids idealization: the girl’s pale, almost sickly skin and the slightly weary gaze of her sad eyes are portrayed honestly. Yet, the noble posture of the young ballerina, dressed in a solemn vanilla gown and silk ballet slippers, creates an authentic image of a small but resilient person, rather than a saccharine portrayal of a child.
Tania’s parents were not entirely pleased with this realistic portrayal of their daughter: like all parents, they wished to see their little girl depicted as vibrant and cheerful. However, the radiant sense of hope emanating from the canvas outweighed the melancholy, just as her zest for life triumphed over her illnesses. Unfortunately, information about Tetyana Yazieva’s later years is lost amid the turbulent times of World War II…
— Olena Mykhailovska, museum researcher.
This work seems to embody the very essence of painting. One can lose track of time admiring the subtlest shades used to depict the white color of the dress, shoes, and bows. The luxurious gown contrasts with the frail face of the child. But what character! A relaxed yet noble posture, a proud turn of the head, an intelligent gaze. Oleksandr Murashko created one of the finest portraits in the history of Ukrainian art.
— Kateryna Lypa, art historian and writer.
I take it upon myself to explain to those who may not know and to remind others, who, amidst great endeavors, may have forgotten, that the establishment of the Academy of Arts in Kyiv is a celebration not only for the nation but for every culturally minded individual. The Academy of Arts is, in its own way, a ‘general headquarters,’ with the distinction that it mobilizes not military forces but a highly cultured army, which will ultimately shape the creation of a new era.
— Oleksandr Murashko, artist, educator, and public figure.
Oleksandr Murashko was one of those artists who laid the foundation for 20th-century Ukrainian painting with a modern, expressive, and plastic vision. His years of study under the renowned Ukrainian artist Illia Ripyn shaped Murashko’s talent, defined his artistic tastes and priorities, particularly his passion for portrait painting. In Paris and Munich, he immersed himself in the vibrant European art scene: Impressionism transformed his perception of color, deepening his interest in plein air painting, while Modernism taught him to masterfully handle line and color planes. The light in his canvases took on a certain generality, yet within its depths pulses a vibrant, real-life essence.
— Olha Dolinska, museum director.
Oleksandr Murashko belongs to the cohort of artists who laid the foundations of 20th-century Ukrainian national culture. A master of portraiture and genre painting, Murashko developed a painting system that organically blended the traditions of the Ukrainian realist school with the spatial-light qualities of Impressionism and the decorative generalizations of Modernism. In his historical and genre paintings, fidelity to nature was combined with the decorative expressiveness of color, virtuosic brushwork, and the effects of plein air painting. His portraits are distinguished by their psychological depth, confident draftsmanship, and free painterly style.
— Olha Zhbankova, art historian.
If an artist stands before nature as a professor, believe me, you will find nothing of art in him. Seek art where the professor stands before nature as a student.
— Oleksandr Murashko, artist, educator, and public figure.
