An inspiration for Picasso and Chagall, Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko’s works are now an international symbol of the call for peace:
“I bow down before the artistic miracle of this brilliant Ukrainian,” Pablo Picasso declared upon seeing the works of Maria Prymachenko at the 1937 Paris World Fair. Marc Chagall was another admirer, calling his own images of fantastical creatures “the cousins of the strange beasts of Maria Prymachenko.”
She might just be Ukraine’s most beloved artist; her likeness has appeared on stamps and even the country’s coinage.reported that a Russian attack hit the Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, home to over 20 of Prymachenko’s fantastical paintings., which is operated by her great-granddaughter Anastasiia Prymachenko, a local man wasWhile much art-historical research on Maria Prymachenko is yet to be translated and digitized, here are three facts about her marvelous creations.
Born to a peasant family near Chernobyl, the artist suffered from polio as a child, an illness that left her confined to bed for much of her childhood . During those years, the artist’s mother taught her embroidery, a tradition deeply tied to Ukrainian culture. She also learned the art of pysanka, the intricate Ukrainian style of decorating Easter eggs.