Authors

Makar Roksolana

UA View project researcher, author of the article about Oleksandr Murashko.

1St. Petersburg Academy of Arts Russia1896

Imperial Academy of Arts, University Embankment, Saint Petersburg, Russia

In 1896, Oleksandr Murashko entered the Petersburg Academy of Arts. At the close of the 19th century it was the leading art university in the Russian Empire, attended by artists from all over the country. Many Ukrainian artists who could not go abroad also studied there.  

Oleksandr Murashko overcame significant obstacles on his path to the Academy. His parents forbade him to enrol in an art studies program and when they finally allowed him to go to Petersburg, they provided him with almost no financial help. Murashko did not enjoy the necessary training to be accepted into the Academy immediately, and for two years he was playing catch up with his peers at the Higher Arts College.  

Prior to this he had studied at the icon-painting workshop of his stepfather in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Fortunately, Murashko’s stepfather received a commission to prime the walls, construct and gild the furniture for St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, a grandiose project of the late 19th century. For this he gathered the leading craftsmen of the Russian Empire—artists, art scholars, and architects. 

St. Volodymyr Cathedral was to be built in honour of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of the Kievan Rus. Admiration of Ancient Rus culture was all the rage at the time and it was during this period that the ancient frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Cyril Church in Kyiv were uncovered from under layers of painting from later eras. St. Volodymyr Cathedral was to be a continuation of the traditions of these architectural monuments, and an enhancement of the status of the Russian Empire as the centre of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. 

In St. Volodymyr Cathedral, Murashko, just a teenager, saw professional artists at work for the first time. It was the creations of Viktor Vasnetsov and Mikhail Vrubel in those halls that inspired him to become an artist. 

After graduating from the Higher Art College attached to Petersburg Academy Murashko entered the Academy and was accepted to Ilya Repin’s workshop. Repin and his Itinerant colleagues revolutionized the art of the 19th century. Instead of the abstract mythological or historical plots promoted by the Academy he turned to contemporary life with all its problems and drawbacks.  

Repin’s workshop in the Academy was a place of freedom and creative search. A lot of signature artists graduated from there. For example, Boris Kustodiyev and Filip Malyayev, famous Russian artists, were among Murashko’s groupmates.

In 1900, Murashko painted his graduation work—the Funeral of Koshovyi—which met with great success. It is a scene from Ukrainian history, portraying the funeral of Ivan Sirko, Zaporizhian Cossack leader of the 17th century. The artist received a Major Gold medal for it and the opportunity to go to Europe for several years.  

2Parisian Women France1901 - 1903

70 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, Paris, France

From 1901-1903 Oleksandr Murashko lived in a small building next to Jardin de Luxembourg. He won a trip to France as the top graduate of the Petersburg Academy of Arts. 



The most fascinating and innovative things in the art of the time were happening in Paris. Not taking into account huge museums and the tumultuous night life, the artist had lots of things to do. Impressionists were at the peak of their popularity, galleries were opening in almost every street, and artists from all over the world were working in the city.  

Murashko dove into Paris life with gusto. He got especially interested in the works by Spanish artists: at the Louvre, he carefully studied the paintings by Diego Velázquez, and at Salon exhibitions, the works of his contemporaries Ignacio Zuloaga and Hermenegildo Anglada.

It is there that Murashko created his famous cycle of works—Parisian Women. These are portraits of women spending their time in cafes and illuminated night streets of the city. The influence of impressionism with its attempt to document ephemeral moments of light, shadow and colour is apparent here. The Academy bought Café, a painting from this cycle, for its museum. 

3In Anton Ažbe’s studio Germany1901 - 1903

Georgenstraße 16, Munich, Germany

Студія Антона Ажбе в Мюнхені, бл. 1897. Національна галерея Словенії

Oleksandr Murashko, famous Ukrainian artist, spent 1901-1903 in Munich and Paris. 

In the beginning of the 20th century, Munich was the place through which all new artistic trends flowed to Eastern Europe. A large community of artists from the Russian Empire lived there, among them Wassily Kandinsky, Igor Grabar, and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. And even though we know little about Murashko’s stay in Munich, his contacts with this emigrant community have been confirmed. There is even a story about artists playing a prank on the Munich residents, enacting the arrival of a Great Russian Prince who was played by Murashko himself.  

There are also testimonies that Murashko attended classes in Anton Ažbe’s studio. This Slovenian artist was among the best teachers of the time. Everybody unhappy with conservative teaching in art academies came to him. He developed a unique drawing methodology and fought artistic stereotypes: all his students found their own creative manner. Quite possibly, Murashko also has Ažbe partly to thank for his unique style.

4Venice Italy1910

C. Giazzo, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy

In 1910, Oleksandr Murashko participated in the 9th Venice Biennale, an exhibition which remains the most prestigious art event in Europe. Along with Murashko, this biennale showcased works by Gustav Klimt, Pierre August Renoir, Edvard Munch, and many other artists.  

Murashko sent in two paintings produced in 1909, Sunday and On the Terrace.  Both works were sold at the exhibition, and their destiny since the sale remains unknown. Sunday, portrays Sofia Filipson and Tetyana Yashvil, was purchased for 3,000 liras by Albert Frankfurter, an entrepreneur. Murashko himself claimed that the painting went to New York but no confirmation of the claim has ever been uncovered. On the Terrace, (sold for 900 liras), is the portrait of the artist’s wife Margarita Murashko, which travelled to Romania, possibly to the collection of the king’s counsel, Ion Lazăr Kalinderu. Some works from his collection perished during German bombing in 1944. Murashko’s portrait of his wife was probably among those.  

No matter what happened to these two works, we only know them from black-and-white reproductions. Who knows – research of Murashko’s legacy may yet reveal tremendous discoveries.

In 1910, Oleksandr Murashko participated in the 9th Venice Biennale, an exhibition which remains the most prestigious art event in Europe. Along with Murashko, this biennale showcased works by Gustav Klimt, Pierre August Renoir, Edvard Munch, and many other artists.  

Murashko sent in two paintings produced in 1909, Sunday and On the Terrace.  Both works were sold at the exhibition, and their destiny since the sale remains unknown. Sunday, portrays Sofia Filipson and Tetyana Yashvil, was purchased for 3,000 liras by Albert Frankfurter, an entrepreneur. Murashko himself claimed that the painting went to New York but no confirmation of the claim has ever been uncovered. On the Terrace, (sold for 900 liras), is the portrait of the artist’s wife Margarita Murashko, which travelled to Romania, possibly to the collection of the king’s counsel, Ion Lazăr Kalinderu. Some works from his collection perished during German bombing in 1944. Murashko’s portrait of his wife was probably among those.  

No matter what happened to these two works, we only know them from black-and-white reproductions. Who knows – research of Murashko’s legacy may yet reveal tremendous discoveries.

5Munich Secession Germany1911

Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Konigsplatz, Munich, Germany

In 1911, Oleksandr Murashko became a member of the Munich Secession. This association gathered artists who were not happy with the conservative system of official academic art. In the first year of its existence, 96 artists joined the association.

Secessions which emerged in several cities at once were branches of modernism, a dominant artistic style of the early 20th century. Modernism opposed technogenic and industrial society by returning to nature, which was manifested in smooth, flexible contours, plant ornaments, and lyrical plots. Its representatives aspired for all elements of human life to be visually united, from buildings to teaspoons. 

Murashko’s paintings, with their decorative style and bold colours, can be considered modernist. In addition, he was well known in Munich having lived here between 1901-1903. In 1909, his Carousel won the gold medal at Munich international exhibition. Thus, the artist’s membership in the Secession was an utterly predictable step in his career. 

For two years, Murashko participated in the association’s exhibitions. Among the works he showcased in Munich was Portrait of V. Dityatina, a painting which critics named one of the best of the 1911 exhibition. “Even I wouldn’t hang my works better than they did,” the artist wrote in one of his letters about Munich exhibition. 

In 1909, Schulte gallery organized personal exhibitions of the Ukrainian artist in Berlin, Cologne, and Dusseldorf presenting 25 works by Murashko. 

When the Ukrainian Academy of Arts opened in Kyiv in 1917 Oleksandr Murashko who had Munich, Paris and own art studio in Kyiv on his list of accomplishments, became one of eight professors heading workshops at the facility. Aware of the project’s significance, the head of th Ukrainian Central Council, Mykhaylo Hrushevsky, engaged a range of important artists to work there. The founders and first teachers of the new Academy were Oleksandr Murashko, Fedir and Vasyl Krychevsky, Mykhaylo Boychuk, Georgiy Narbut, and Mykhaylo Zhuk. Murashko headed the portrait workshop where he was joined by many students from his private studio.   

Now the youngsters did not have to go to Petersburg to get high-quality education; they could study the newest artistic achievements from Ukrainian artists.  

Studying in the Academy against the background of the Ukrainian-Bolshevik war was a challenge. Students froze in unheated facilities; they often did not have enough paint and canvas and, sometimes, even food. The fact that the newly created Academy was an object for teachers’ experiments only added insult to injury; they did not always know how to organise the processes correctly and often clashed with each other. 

Prior to his death in 1919, Murashko taught here for two years. But even during this short period he managed to make a valuable contribution in the development of Ukrainian art.