User:Bohdan Hrytsak/Marta Pitchuk

Marta Pitchuk (maiden name Belmeha) (born February 19, 1993, Ivano-Frankivsk) is a Ukrainian artist, author of many murals in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Stryi, as well as on the historical viaduct in Vorokhta.

Biography
Marta Pitchuk was born on February 19, 1993 in Ivano-Frankivsk, where she currently resides.

In 2014 she graduated from the Kosiv Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts at the Lviv National Academy of Arts with a degree in monumental and decorative painting. In 2015 Mrs. Pitchuk received a second degree in illustration at the Ukrainian Academy of Printing in Lviv.

Art
In an effort to breathe new life into the symbolism of the past and give it modern features, Marta has been working with the image of a sacred “motanka” rag doll, which is a centuries-old Ukrainian symbol of ancestral memory. The history of the "Motanka" series of paintings began after, in her old family house, Marta found a traditional Hutsul headdress known in Ukrainian as чільце (chiltse). This inspired her to incorporate native to her Hutsul motives into her artworks. All of the “motanka” paintings are painted on a black background, which gives them more contrast and dynamism. “I borrowed the technique for illuminating the image from tempera icon painting. The movement of the strokes cyclically twists the canvas, emphasizing the main elements. The paintings depict the wind, disobedience as a reflection of the character of the depicted woman. Each image is strong-willed, proud, deep in itself ", - the artist notes.

The heroines of the "Motanka” paintings have covered faces, but in fact, Marta paints a face with eyes on each of her paintings, and only then covers up the facial features. This is done so that "the motanka has a soul, a character, even if it is not visible." Marta incorporates various elements of ethnic embroidery native to specific regions of Ukraine into the clothing of the heroines, such as shirts with Hutsul, Podillya, and Bukovyna styling elements. The paintings feature vibrant flowers, bold colors, and atypical combinations of blue-purple-pink. On the "Poltava Motanka” she depicted an embroidered tree of life that is only half-alive.

Marta draws inspiration for creating art in her journeys through the Ukrainian countryside. She specifically seeks out antique headdresses, embroidered shirts, and authentic elements of interior décor to analyze regional ethnic motives.

Marta is working on murals with her husband, artist Yurii Pitchuk. Their first mural - in honor of a famous Ukrainian actor Ivan Mykolaychuk - was painted in 2016 in Ivano-Frankivsk, on the street named after him. Marta and Yurii have also created a series of frescoes on ethno-themes depicting heroines in traditional Ukrainian costumes on otherwise empty walls of high-rise buildings. The geography of the Pitchuks' murals is successfully expanding. Among the joint works is also a painting on a viaduct dating back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the town of Vorokhta, situated in the heart of the Carpathians. Hutsul figures were painted on its concrete support structures without touching the stone elements. Marta has also worked on the scenography for theatrical performances in Ivano-Frankivsk. In her free time, she conducts research on traditional Ukrainian clothing and headwear.

International recognition
Marta’s works are on display in private collections in countries including, but not limited to England, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Argentina, USA, and Canada.

Panorama of a mural in Vorokhta

 * Panorama of the historic viaduct in Vorokhta with a mural by Marta and Yurii Pitchuk.  Ворохта віадук4.jpg

Links

 * Марта Пітчук — феномен західноукраїнського мистецтва// Український дощ, 17.04.2020
 * «Закриваю їм очі, щоб показати характер», — Марта Пітчук про серію картин «Мотанка»// Суспільне телебачення, 21.12.2019
 * Сучасне українське мистецтво. Митці нашого краю. Марта Пітчук// Конгрес національних громад України, 08.10.2020