Expressionism in the work of Mykhailo Demtsiu

Issue: 
Pages: 
215-235
Abstract: 

Avant-garde fully manifested in Germany, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway, has also been developed by Ukrainian artists. Owing to a galaxy of outstanding artistic personalities — К. Kandinskyi, К. Malevich, А. Arkhypenko, — the avant-garde spirit and its ideas penetrated the Ukrainian art. Expressionism in Lviv's art occupies a prominent place along with other avant-garde artistic trends.
Ukrainian artists of the 20th and early 21st centuries continue evolving in line with contemporary pictorial tendencies. It is worth noting that Lviv pictural art significantly differs from painting of other European countries. Creative work of a representative of Lviv artistic environment, Mykhailo Demtsiu, was selected for studying expressionism.
Oeuvre of М. Demtsiu is known not only in Lviv but also in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Belgium, and other countries. His pieces of work are popular because of incredible aesthetics and vivid colorfulness. Coloristic power of paintings seems to exacerbate the viewer's imagination, attracts, forces to get lost in time - without blinking an eye you are celebrating Easter, resting on Seine riverbank, Mary is looking gently at you, and you are overwhelmed  by jazz music ... The originality of compositional solutions is enhanced by lines dynamism of the and color palette contrasts creating positive energy that is inherent in creativity of the Ukrainian artist. Due to large number of paintings' reproductions, those works were selected, in thematic range of which the author constantly embodies his picturesque visions and emotional impression of life.
In order to reveal an expressionist component in work of Lviv maestro, it was suggested to conduct a comparative analysis of easel paintings of M. Demtsiu with works by famous West European artists V. van Gogh, G. Münter, О. Novakivskyi, Е. Nolde, F. Mark, М. de Vlaminck. For high-quality art review, works of other well-known artists were selected on the same subject as the works of the Lviv artist. 
As a result of the comparative analysis the works of famous artists acquire a new sound along with the works of the modern author. The main artistic peculiarities by which painting works can be compared are: composition, color scheme, stylistics, line, spot, concept, rhythm, deformation degree, saturation, tonal relations, subject. Such division adds visibility and structures visual material and thus it becomes possible to look at works from a new angle, to consider dynamics of professional, figurative, and emotional growth of the artist.
We compare herein the power of emotional influence and originality of the artist's imaginative thinking, which directly affects dynamics or static nature of the compositional construction. When comparing expressive paintings we singled out common and distinctive features that helped to better understand the stylistic peculiarities characteristic of creativity of М. Demtsiu. Cheerful temperament of the artist and figurative and philosophical attitude to life are manifestations of expressive style of painting.
Having analyzed the artist's oeuvre, we noticed characteristic features, among which pastose technique and brushstroke rhythmics can be singled out. Paint sculpturesqueness, live impulse-nervous contour line, and color scheme contrast are next expressive features of figurative and sensual artistic thinking of the artist. Virtuosic command of expressive means is enhanced by expressive compositions. Increased emotionality expressed in hyperbolized sense of motion and internal dynamics is also revealed in the works. Plane decorative effect and holistic color conception enriching the artist's formal-colorist searches dominate in the works.
Thus, unlike V. van Gogh, G. Münter, О. Novakivskyi, Е. Nolde, F. Mark, М. de Vlaminck, works of М. Demtsiu are characterized by expressive brushstroke ad pastose technique. Power of the Ukrainian spirit is clearly traced in Hutsul themes, portrayal of the Ukrainian women. Analyzing his works, one can conclude that the artist is able to think in color by successfully transmitting the power of emotional impulse. This specificity of creativity is inherent in alla prima technique the artist works in. 
Works of М. Demtsiu are distinguished by color scheme expressiveness as a result of which his palette becomes diversified, the sound of certain tonal-colored colors amplifies. We observe constriction of the color scale in recent years, which are treated by the artist as the necessity for changes that only enrich the creativity. Paintings of М. Demtsiu are characterized by optimistic world perception and overwhelming warm color shades. Special emphasis is laid on stylistic of the painting language of the Lviv artist, for which use of smooth and relief lines often changing their thickness and color structure is peculiar. The author also resorts to brushstroke colorfulness in national subject. On the professional side, the artist perfectly commands a variety of pictorial techniques with oil painting being the favorite one. The technique directly affects the painting pattern, which is a kind of spiritual and figurative synthesis of reality and subjective worldview. Moreover, the artist makes an active emphasis on the color scheme the strength of emotional message, subject, rhythm, dynamics, power of tonal relations depend on. 
Bold combination of color correlations of cold and warm shades is characteristic of the works of Lviv colorist painter М.Demtsiu. Details are depicted rather generalized in many canvases, which facilitates the viewer in concentrating on the main object. Forethought of the composition allows feeling the connection, own presence in the painting. The originality of intuitive artistic vision affects the originality and character of the works. No wonder exhibition activities and creative potential of М. Demtsiu are developing with renewed vigor.

UDC: 
75.036.7(477.83-25)”195/…”(043.5)
Language of publication: 
Українська
References: 

1. Demtsiu, M. (2011) Albom. [Myrhailo Demtsyu. Album] Kyiv : KNVMP Symvol-T, Premium Print Solutions. (In Ukrainian).

2. Demtsiu, M. (2016) Akvarel, keramika. [Myrhailo Demtsyu. Album. Watercolor, ceramics] Kyiv : Familna drukarnia Huss. (In Ukrainian).

3. Demtsiu, M. (2018) Zhyvopys. [Myrhailo Demtsyu. Painting] Kyiv : Familna drukarnia Huss. (In Ukrainian).

4. Afanasiev, V. (1984) Ukrainske radianske mystetstvo 1960-1980-kh rokiv. [Ukrainian Soviet art of the 1960-1980s] Kyiv : Mystetstvo. (In Ukrainian).

5. Belychko, Yu. (1978) Tema-Obraz-Ideia: tendentsii rozvytku suchasnoho ukrainskoho obrazotvorchoho mystetstva 1945–1972. [Topic-Obraz-Idea: Trends in the Development of Contemporary Ukrainian Fine Arts] Kyiv : Mystetstvo. (In Ukrainian).

6. Holubets, O. (2012) Mystetstvo XX stolittia: ukrainskyi shliakh. [Аrt of the twentieth century: the Ukrainian way] Lviv : Kolir PRO. (In Ukrainian).

7. Holubets, O. (2001) Mizh svobodoiu i totalitaryzmom: mystetske seredovyshche Lvova druhoi polovyny ХХ stolittia. [Between freedom and totalitarianism: the artistic milieu of Lviv in the second half of the ХХ century] Lviv : Akademichnyi ekspres. (In Ukrainian).

8. Holubets, O. (2014) Suchasne maliarstvo Lvova. [Modern painting of Lviv] Lviv : Bak. (In Ukrainian).

9. Demtsiu Mykhailo. (2002) Kolory Ukrainy: Albom : [Colors of Ukraine: Album] Kyiv : [ b. v.]. (In Ukrainian).

10. Demtsiu Mykhailo. (2004) Kolory Ukrainy: Albom : [Colors of Ukraine: Album] / za red. M. Marychevskoho. Kyiv : Sofiia-A. (Seriia «Nash chas — nash prostir»; 8). (In Ukrainian).

11. Demtsiu Mykhailo. (2000) Maliarstvo. [Mykhailo Demtsyu. Painting] Natsionalna spilka khudozhnykiv Ukrainy. Kyiv : Obrazotvorche m-vo. (In Ukrainian).

12. Vystavka tvoriv molodykh khudozhnykiv Lvova. (1984) Kataloh. [Exhibition of works of young artists of Lviv] Lviv : Oblpolihrafvydav. (In Ukrainian).

13. Interviu iz Mykhailom Demtsiu. (14 zhovtnia 2018) [Interview with Mykhailo Demtsyu] Lviv. (Pryvatnyi arkhiv N. Bratiuk).

14. Budkevych, A. Mykhailo Demtsiu. Charodii maliarskoi kolorystyky. [Mykhailo Demtsyu. The magic of painting color ] URL : http://texty.org.ua/pg/blog/aict/read/83782/MYhAJLO_DeMCu_ChARODIJ_MALaRSKOJi_KOLORYSTYKY.

15. Yarema, H. (2017) Mykhailo Demtsiu: Kolys prodav svoi roboty za beztsin, a potim vidkupyv udesiatero dorozhche. [Mykhailo Demtsyu: Once they sold their works for no value, and then bought ten times more expensive] In Vysokyi Zamok. URL : https://wz.lviv.ua/interview/199010-mykhailo-demtsyu-kolys-prodav-svoi-r...