Ekaterina's talent is blonde. Space of Katerina Blond

Ekaterina Vasilievna Belokur (Ukrainian Katerina Vasylivna Bilokur; November 25 (December 7) 1900 - June 10, 1961) - master of Ukrainian folk decorative painting.

Flowers in the Fog, 1940. Oil on canvas

Flowers and viburnum, 1940. Oil on canvas

1. "I want to be an artist"
Ekaterina Belokur was born in 1900, in the village of Bogdanovka near Kiev, into a family of peasants and nothing foreshadowed her becoming an artist. At the beginning of the twentieth century, girls in villages faced a completely different fate - early marriage, caring for husbands and children, housework, and work in the fields.

Portrait of Ekaterina Belokur by her only student and fellow villager Anna Samarskaya

Bouquet of flowers 1954. Oil on canvas

Bouquet of flowers, 1960. Oil on canvas

Dahlias, 1957. Oil on canvas

Decorative flowers, 1945. Oil on canvas

Collective farm field, 1948-1949. Canvas, oil

5. Long-awaited recognition
Ekaterina Belokur became a famous artist at the age of 40, and chance helped. Once she heard on the radio the song “Chi I am in Luzi not Kalina Bula” performed by Oksana Petrusenko.

I'm not in a pot of viburnum,
Why am I not in the pocket for chervona?
They took me and broke me
I was tied into buns.
This is my lot!
Gorka is my share!

The words of the song touched the artist so much that she wrote a letter to the famous Kyiv singer. After talking about her personal drama and dream, she enclosed a drawing of a viburnum tree. Petrusenko became interested in the fate of the talented girl and showed it to her acquaintances in Kyiv artists. Very soon, representatives of the Poltava House of Creativity came to Ekaterina in Bogdanovka. And a miracle happened: the amazing works of an unknown but gifted artist were selected for a personal exhibition. The first exhibition of her paintings was held in Poltava, and soon in Kyiv.

Mallows and roses, 1954-1958. Canvas, oil

Still life with ears of corn and a jug 1958-59. Canvas, oil

Garden flowers, 1952-1953 Oil on canvas

Monument to Ekaterina Belokur in Yagotin

Anniversary vase for the 90th anniversary of Ekaterina Vasilievna Belokur. Sculptor - Ukader Yu. A. Yagotinskaya art gallery

Tsar Kolos (variant), 1950s. Canvas, oil

Apparently, not only Picasso was captivated by Belokur’s paintings; after the exhibition, during transportation to the USSR, the paintings were stolen. And they still haven't been found.

Flowers on a yellow background, 1950s. Canvas, oil

Peonies, 1946. Oil on canvas

Wildflowers, 1941. Oil on canvas

Wheat, flowers, grapes, 1950-1952. Canvas, oil

Gorobchiki (Vorbiishki), 1940. Canvas, oil

“Self-portrait”, 1950 Paper, pencil

“Self-portrait”, 1955 Paper, pencil

“Self-portrait”, 1957 Paper, pencil

Dahlias on a blue background

01/23/2016 2 860 0 Jadaha

Interesting

If just a year ago, little was known in Europe itself about the great country of Ukraine, which is located in the very heart of Europe, but now our country has become known to almost every resident, not only of Europe, but of the whole world.

But what do they really know about us, other than the revolution that took place here? At best, Europeans can call the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. But few people know that this is the most ancient capital of the world. It is generally accepted that Kyiv is only 1500 years old. So, for some reason, Soviet politicians once decided. In fact, our entire civilization began from the Kyiv lands, when the avatar (leader, authoritative leader) Rama led people with him to the banks of the Dnieper. This was about 7500 years ago.

We can be proud that it was in the Ukrainian lands that a new human era was born. Ukraine occupies a very large territory, which contains a quarter of the world's standard black soils. It is one of the first and best seven global producers of vegetable oils. Ukrainian land gives birth to such talents in various fields that are known throughout the world. It seems that when the Lord distributed land and brains, Ukraine was first in line. There are a lot of interesting facts that deserve to be known. The world's first largest cargo-lifting aircraft was developed by the Ukrainian design bureau Antonov. This is the famous An-225 Mriya, which is now used for heavy cargo transportation. By the way, the world's first helicopter and four-engine airplane were also designed by our great fellow countryman Igor Sikorsky.

The First World Constitution also appeared in Ukraine back in 1710 on April 5 under the authorship of Hetman Philip Orlik. It was called “The Constitution of the Rights and Freedoms of the Zaporozhye Army.” For example, in America the Constitution first appeared only in 1787, and in 1791 in Poland and France.

Ukraine holds the world leadership not only in honey production in general, but also per capita. And the first frame evidence was invented by our fellow countryman Pyotr Prokopovich back in the early 19th century.

The largest monasteries are called Lavra. There are six of them all over the world and half are in Ukraine! These are: Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv; Pochaev Holy Dormition Lavra in Pochaev; Svyatogorsk Holy Dormition Lavra in Svyatoshrsk, Donetsk region.

Ukraine is famous not only for its “brains”, but also for the first educational institution in Eastern Europe. In 1615, the Kiev-Mohyla Academy was founded, which not only successfully exists to this day, but is also considered the most prestigious educational institution in our country.

In 1899-1902 The Anglo-Boer War was going on in South Africa. The commander of one Boer detachment, Ukrainian Yuri Budyak, saved a journalist from England from execution. Later, this same journalist helped the brave commander enter the University of Oxford. After his studies, Budyak served in the Ukrainian government. He died in a Soviet concentration camp at the end of World War II. The English journalist whom Yuri saved was named Winston Churchill.

Composer Nikolai Leontovich from Ukraine owns the most recognizable and sought-after musical work, “Shchedryk”. Throughout the world this melody is known as Carol of the Bells or Ring Christmas Bells.

The longest historical route passed through Ukrainian territory - “the path from the Varangians to the Greeks.” Its length was 3 thousand kilometers. A unique system of river routes was built that connected Ancient Rus' with the southern Russian lands, and the Black Sea with the Baltic. That is, Kievan Rus served as a kind of bridge between Eastern Europe and the Ancient East.

In nature there is a rare phenomenon called “singing sands”. They “sing” after rain, when a thin crust forms on the sand surface. Walking along this sand, you can hear amazing sounds, reminiscent of the whistle of air released from a rubber bladder. Anyone who wants to encounter such a miracle of nature is welcome to Ukraine! Namely, on the branch of the Dnieper there is a spit near the Lapinka River, which is not far from Nikopol.

The great master Picasso admired the paintings of the Ukrainian artist Ekaterina Belokur (1900-1961). He described her work as “brilliant.”

Honore de Balzac was married to a Ukrainian woman, Evelina Ganskaya. This was in Berdichev in 1850. Also, the king of waltzes, Frederic Chopin, lived in this place for a long time.

In the Ukrainian Tsyurupinsk there is the largest European desert (the old name is Oleshki). The Oleshkovskaya desert acquired its current appearance due to the constant grazing of sheep on it, which destroyed all the grass. At a depth of 300-500 meters of this desert there is a fresh lake with the most delicious water. However, scientists have determined that this water cannot be extracted, as this will lead to dangerous subsidence of the sands.

In 1887, with the help of precision measuring instruments, the geographical center of Europe was established. It is located in Ukraine and is located in Transcarpathia, in the village of Dilove, Rakhiv district. Like this!

The best of the best:

• The cave in Podolia containing gypsum is the largest. Its length is 216 km and its depth is 20 m. It is called “Optimistic” and is second in size only to Mammoth Cave in America.
• Ukrainian trembita is the longest musical instrument.
• In Ukraine, in the Rivne region, the oldest oak tree lives. Its age is 1300 years.
• Arsenalnaya metro station is the deepest and is located in Kyiv. Its depth is 105 m. It was one of the first built in 1960, near the House of Parliament. Rumor has it that it has underground hiding places for political leaders.
• The trolleybus route, with a length of 86 km, has the longest length. It goes from Simferopol to Yalta.
• Kiev Khreshchatyk is the shortest street among all the capital's streets. Its length is 1225 m. However, it is also the widest street.
• The third most visited McDonald's in the world is located in Kyiv near the railway station.
• The oldest geographical map was found by scientists in the Rivne region. It is about 15,000 years old and was carved on mammoth bones.
• The most environmentally friendly launch vehicles are produced by the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepropetrovsk.

Maybe you are unhappy with my work, - she wrote in one of the letters, - since I only draw flowers? But how can you not draw them if they are so beautiful! I myself, when I start to draw another picture with flowers, sometimes I think: when I finish this one, then I will already draw something from people’s lives. But by the time I finish, a whole series of new pictures are already appearing in my head, one more wonderful than the other and one more beautiful than the other - and all flowers. That's the whole story for you. And spring will come, the grass will turn green, and then the flowers will bloom... And my God! As you look around - those are good, and those are even better, and those are even more wonderful... And I forget everything in the world, and draw flowers again. Do not be angry with me, my close and distant friends, because I paint flowers, because flower paintings are beautiful.

Ekaterina Bilokur was born in the village of Bogdanovka near Kiev into a family of peasants and nothing foreshadowed her becoming an artist. At the beginning of the twentieth century, girls in the village faced a completely different fate - early marriage, caring for husbands and children, housework, and work in the fields.

Little Katya’s dreams were completely different - from early childhood the girl wanted to draw. And despite the fact that it was impossible to get either paints or paper in the village, she made homemade brushes from twigs and scraps of wool, and painted on pieces of canvas that she took from her mother, or on planks that she found from her father. I felt especially envious of my younger brother, who was sent to school, because he had notebooks!

One day Katerina took one of them and painted it with wonderful drawings. Hoping to please her parents, she hung her fairy-tale pictures in the room. The father, noticing such creativity, burned them in the stove. Since then, her parents not only forbade her to draw, but punished her with rods, wanting to wean her from a useless activity.

Still life with ears of corn and a jug
1958-1959

Catherine did not spend a single day at school. She learned to read on her own in almost a week using the ABC book her father gave her. And then the girl had to read her favorite books in secret from her mother, who kept finding new jobs for her daughter to distract her from books.

Still life “Flowers, apples, tomatoes” 1950

The lack of primary education prevented Katerina from studying at art school. In the 1920s, she went to Mirgorod to enter an art school, taking with her her best drawings, but the documents were not accepted without a certificate.

The girl continued to draw, but her parents’ resistance continued. In 1934, driven to despair by her mother's persecution, she tried to drown herself in the river in front of her eyes. Only after the suicide attempt did my mother allow me to draw and did not force me to get married, and Katerina, who caught a cold in her feet in cold water, remained disabled for the rest of her life.

Bogdanov apples
1958-1959

Ekaterina Bilokur became famous for her floral arrangements. The artist painted every flower and all her works are distinguished by careful detail. A craftswoman could work on one painting for a year. In winter she painted flowers from memory, but in spring and summer she worked both in the field and in the garden and could even walk 30 km to the neighboring Pyryatinsky forest to paint lilies of the valley.

It is known that the artist never picked flowers. She said: “A plucked flower is like a lost destiny.” Maybe that’s why her living bouquets with peonies, daisies, roses, hollyhocks, and lilies have a special magic, captivating viewers!

Bouquet of flowers 1959

Many of Bilokur's still lifes today are compared to French still life, and the dark background is associated with Dutch Old Master painting. Meanwhile, Katerina Bilokur never learned to draw professionally, but called nature her teacher. For the first time, the artist visited museums in Kyiv and Moscow after her personal exhibitions. Art critics call the artist a nugget, a talent from God.

After the war, Bilokur’s paintings were regularly acquired by the Kiev Museum of Folk Decorative Arts. Today, most of the works of the national artist are kept in this museum and in the Yagotyn Art Gallery; there are almost no paintings in private collections. In total, Catherine created about a hundred works during her life.

Still life “Flowers with nuts” 1948

After the war, Catherine received worldwide recognition. Three paintings by Bilokur: “Tsar-Ear of Ear”, “Birch Tree” and “Collective Farm Field” participated in the international exhibition in Paris in 1954.

Apparently, not only Picasso was captivated by Bilokur’s paintings; after the exhibition, during transportation to the USSR, the paintings were stolen. And they still haven't been found.

In Bogdanovka on the zagreb 1955

Catherine’s personal life did not work out. She was an attractive girl and there were enough admirers in her native village, but none of them understood her passion for painting. The suitors were surprised and demanded to leave their creative dreams, saying “How? My wife will be a mop!? And Katerina was in no hurry to get married. Already in adulthood, she felt loneliness, she really wanted to share her joys and sorrows with a loved one, but in the village they did not understand her. She left her thoughts and experiences in letters to Kyiv art critics with whom she corresponded, and in her autobiography. All her lines are imbued with lyricism and sincere trust.

Dahlias 1940

Despite the fact that Bilokur’s paintings were bought by museums, her exhibitions were constantly held, Catherine was awarded the title of People’s Artist and given a large pension, she did not bask in the rays of fame. The artist still lived in her old parents’ house, besides, she was caring for her sick mother, and she herself was already sick with cancer. Until the last day, she painted her favorite flowers with homemade paints and brushes, because spring was still in the artist’s soul
Text: Irina Olikh

Dahlias 1957

Collective farm field 1948-1949

Cats 1950s

Mallows and roses 1954-1958

Still life 1960

Still life “Beetroot” (“Beetroot”) 1959

Still life “Flowers and vegetables” 1959

Still life with bread 1960

Garden flowers 1952

Cockerels 1950s

Peonies 1946

Peonies 1958

Hello Harvest 1946

Wheat, flowers, grapes 1950-1954

Tsar Kolos 1949

Flowers 1959

Flowers and viburnum 1958

Still life "Breakfast" 1950

September in the village of Bogdanovka on Zagreb 1956

Autumn 1960

Outside the village 1956

Composition

Quite often, the whole class went on an excursion to an art gallery. Our teacher spent a lot of time introducing us to the magical world of art, teaching us not only to be spectators, but also to be able to analyze what we saw. Somehow, imperceptibly, we began to see the inner world of the artists behind the canvases.

I don’t know why, but most of all I liked the works of the famous artist Ekaterina Belokur. Perhaps she and I have something in common. I quite vividly remember the painting “Native Field”, this is one of the artist’s most famous paintings. After reading the biography of E. Belokur, I understood why her paintings depict flowers, trees, and meadows. She lived among nature and transferred a piece of it to her canvases. A wide field stretches before your eyes. The earth is still wrapped in the blue morning fog, but is already playing with the colors of the rainbow. Soon the day will come, the sun will rise, but for now everyone is waiting for awakening. The artist depicted the field as the vast expanse of the globe. It is so wide, like a boundless expanse of sea that reaches immeasurable distances. The colors are gentle and affectionate. It’s as if nature itself gave the artist colors that come from clean water, from his native land, from the warmth of the sun. Red, yellow, cherry, pink, blue colors shimmer, unite, and real beauty grows from all this.

I also liked the painting “Flowers and Birch Trees at Night.” The canvas depicts two birch trees surrounded by flowers. They are shrouded in the evening darkness. The ray of the silver moon falls through the dense crown of trees on red peonies and pink roses. The cold blue color scheme of the painting creates the illusion of a quiet, romantic Ukrainian night. It seems that you should reach out and touch the living, wonderful color of our land, the beauty of our native nature. Ekaterina Belokur's paintings bring me great aesthetic pleasure, touch my heart, fill me with reverent joy and love for the world around me.

Naive art

Landscape, still life, portrait

Monument to Ekaterina Belokur in Yagotin

Ekaterina Vasilievna Belokur(ukr. Katerina Vasylivna Bilokur; November 25 (December 7) - June 10) - master of Ukrainian folk decorative painting.

Childhood

Ekaterina Belokur was born in the village of Bogdanovka, Piryatinsky district, Poltava province (now Yagotinsky district, Kyiv region). When exactly is not completely clear. The artist herself named November 23, and November 24, and, and 1901. Her official date of birth was eventually recognized as November 25 (December 7), 1900. This was the most logical, because November 25 is the day of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine.

The urge to draw

It is difficult to say when exactly the future artist began to draw, but, obviously, this happened not in childhood, but in adolescence. I drew with charcoal on pieces of canvas. At the age of 14, Catherine was caught doing this, as everyone thought, meaningless activity. They resorted to urgent measures - rods and a strict ban on drawing. From now on, the girl had to create in secret.

However, a legend has been preserved, testifying to the considerable popularity of the creative attempts of 15-17-year-old Katya and even their recognition. The Belokurovs' neighbor and relative Nikita Tonkonog, who owned a water mill, was a passionate theatergoer. Together with his like-minded people, he organized a kind of theater studio. The plays staged by Tonkonog were a significant success. Knowing that Ekaterina Belokur “can draw,” the creative miller asked her to help with the decorations. The girl drew with pleasure, watched the play on the water, and later, by the way, played on the stage of this unique theater.

In the attitude of fellow villagers to Ekaterina Belokur’s hobby, the point of view of her mother, Akulina Pavlovna, prevailed: “God has punished us with such a daughter! All people have daughters at that age who are already married, their parents have sons-in-law, but ours is a devil!”

At the technical school

The drama club brought together talented, and most importantly, inquisitive young people. They staged “Natalka Poltavka” by Kotlyarevsky, “Matchmaking on Goncharovka” by Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, “The Maid” and “Talentless” by Karpenko-Kary, “Mother the Farmhand” by Togobochny - a dramatization of “The Farmhand” by Shevchenko and many other performances. Catherine played selflessly. True, she considered her age (24-26 years old) unsuitable for the roles of girls and played mainly married women.

Among the boys and girls who gathered in the Bogdanov drama club was Alexander Kravchenko. He is somewhat mysteriously called “the groom who was neglected by Ekaterina Belokur.” Probably, this story is connected specifically with his name: the future creator of “Collective Farm Field” and “Peonies” threw away the bouquet given to her with the words: “If you are so cruel to flowers, then what kindness should I expect from you?” After all, flowers are alive. She will create all her paintings only from life.

Joyful times

The artist was visiting her cousin, Lyubov Tonkonog, who lived on the other side of the river, and heard a song on the radio performed by the famous Oksana Petrusenko. Either the song, or the voice, or maybe both, struck Ekaterina so much that she sat all night over the letter - and in the morning she sent it to a rather unusual address: “Kiev, Academic Theater, Oksana Petrusenko.”

However, the singer's fame was so widespread that the letter was not lost and reached the addressee. Enclosed in the envelope along with the letter, a drawing on a piece of canvas - viburnum - amazed Oksana Petrusenko. She consulted with friends - Kasiyan, Tychina, went to the Folk Art Center, and outlined the essence of the matter. An order was received in Poltava - to go to Bogdanovka, find Belokur, and take an interest in her work.

And so, Vladimir Khitko, who then headed the artistic and methodological council of the regional House of Folk Art, comes to Bogdanovka. Shocked, he takes several paintings with him to Poltava and shows them to his colleague and friend, artist Matvey Dontsov. An unequivocal decision was made - to immediately organize an exhibition. And in 1940, a personal exhibition of a self-taught artist from Bogdanovka, Ekaterina Belokur, opened in the Poltava House of Folk Art. The exhibition consisted of only 11 paintings.

The success was huge. Catherine was awarded a trip to Moscow. She was accompanied by V. Khitko. The artist visited the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, and the Lenin Museum. The greatest impression was made by the “little Dutch”, the Itinerant artists and the French impressionists. But the famous paintings both delighted and depressed Catherine. For some time after that, she couldn’t even work: “Well, where should I be as an artist? I am nothing! My daub is no good! I saw this! Everything is so wonderful, but unattainable for me. Why should I, a stupid village girl, think about art? And can I create anything worthwhile? But having calmed down, she paints flowers again and again, which she cannot help but draw, because there is nothing better in the world than them. In 1941 Belokur created “Wild Flowers”.