Taras Shevchenko
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Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist and ethnographer.Taras Shevchenko
in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition. 1970-1979 (in English)
His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a large extent, the modern
Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state lan ...
, though this is different from the language of his poems. He also wrote some works in Russian (nine novellas, a diary, and an autobiography). Shevchenko is also known for his many masterpieces as a painter and an illustrator. He was a fellow of the
Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thr ...
. Though he had never been a member of the
Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius The Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius ( uk, Кирило-Мефодіївське братство, russian: Кирилло-Мефодиевское братство) was a short-lived secret political society that existed in Kiev (now Kyi ...
, Shevchenko was convicted in 1847 of explicitly promoting the independence of Ukraine, writing poems in the Ukrainian language and ridiculing members of the Russian Imperial House. Contrary to the members of the society who did not understand that their activity led to the idea of an independent Ukraine, according to the secret police, he was a champion of independence.


Life


Childhood and youth

Taras Shevchenko was born on in the village of Moryntsi, Zvenyhorodka county, Kyiv Governorate,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
(today Zvenyhorodka Raion,
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
). He was the third child after his sister Kateryna
Shevchenko Dictionary in two volumes
''. Shevchenko Institute of Literature (Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR). Kyiv: Main Edition of the Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia, 1976-1978.
and brother Mykyta, in family of
serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
peasants Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko (1782?–1825) and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko (Boiko) (1782? – 6 August 1823), both of whom were owned by landlord Vasily Engelhardt. According to the family legends, Taras's forefathers were Cossacks who served in the
Zaporozhian Host Zaporozhian Host (or Zaporizhian Sich) is a term for a military force inhabiting or originating from Zaporizhzhia, the territory beyond the rapids of the Dnieper River in what is Central Ukraine today, from the 15th to the 18th centuries. These ...
and had taken part in the Cossack uprisings of the 17th and 18th centuries. Those uprisings were brutally suppressed in Cherkasy,
Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administrativel ...
, Kyiv, Bratslav and Chernihiv, disrupting normal social life for many years afterwards. Most of the local population were then enslaved and reduced to poverty. In 1816, the Shevchenko family moved back to the village of Kyrylivka (today Shevchenkove) in Zvenyhorodka county, where Taras' father, Hryhoriy Ivanovych, had been born. Taras spent his childhood years in the village. On , Taras' sister Yaryna was born, and on —Maria. Once, young Taras went looking for "the iron pillars that hold up the sky" and got lost. Chumaks who met the boy took him with them to Kyrylivka. On Taras' brother Yosyp was born. In the fall of 1822, Taras started to take grammar classes at a local precentor ( dyak) Sovhyr.Works in 10 volumes. Vol.3. 169-170 At that time, Shevchenko became familiar with Hryhoriy Skovoroda's works. During 1822-1828 Shevchenko painted horses and soldiers. On his older sister and nanny Kateryna married Anton Krasytskyi, a serf "from Zelena Dibrova". On Taras' hard working mother died, leaving six children - three sons and three daughters, including the just-married eldest."Osnova" 1862. Book 3. 5Works in 10 volumes. Vol.2. 229 Only a month later, on his father married a widow, Oksana Tereshchenko, a native of Moryntsi village, who already had three children of her own. She treated her step-children, and particularly little Taras, with great cruelty. On Taras's half-sister Maria from the second marriage of Hryhoriy Ivanovych was born. In 1824, Taras, along with his father, became a traveling merchant ( chumak) and traveled to Zvenyhorodka,
Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...
, Yelizavetgrad (today Kropyvnytskyi). At the age of eleven, Taras became an orphan when, on , his father died as a serf in corvée. Soon his stepmother, along with her children, returned to Moryntsi. Taras was sent to work for precentor ( dyak) Bohorsky who had just arrived from
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
in 1824. As an apprentice, Taras carried water, heated up a school, served the precentor, read psalms over the dead and continued to study.Works in 10 volumes. Vol.5. 225 At that time Shevchenko became familiar with some works of Ukrainian literature. Soon, tired of Bohorsky's long term mistreatment, Shevchenko escaped in search of a painting master in the surrounding villages. For several days he worked for
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
Yefrem in Lysianka,"Osnova" 1862. Book 3. 10 later in other places around in southern part of Kyiv Governorate (villages
Stebliv Stebliv ( uk, Стеблів, russian: Стеблёв) is an urban-type settlement located in Zvenyhorodka Raion (district) of Cherkasy Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Stebliv settlement hromada, one of the h ...
and Tarasivka). In 1827 Shevchenko was herding community sheep near his village. He then met Oksana Kovalenko, a childhood friend, whom Shevchenko mentions in his works on multiple occasions. He dedicated the introduction of his poem "Mariana, the Nun" to her. As a hireling for the Kyrylivka priest Hryhoriy Koshytsia, Taras was visiting Bohuslav where he drove the priest's son to school, while also taking apples and plums to market. At the same time, he was driving to markets in the towns of Burty and
Shpola Shpola ( uk, Шпола, ; yi, שפּאָלע, Shpole) is a city located in Zvenyhorodka Raion of Cherkasy Oblast ( province) in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Shpola urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a pop ...
. In 1828, Shevchenko was hired as a serving boy to a lord's court in Vilshana and obtained permission there to study with a local artist. When Taras was 14, Vasily Engelhardt died and the village of Kyrylivka and all its people became a property of his son, Pavlo Engelhardt. Shevchenko was turned into a court servant of his new master at the Vilshana estates. On Pavlo Engelgardt caught Shevchenko at night painting a portrait of Cossack Matvii Platov, a hero of the
Patriotic War of 1812 The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental blo ...
. He boxed the ears of the boy and ordered him to be whipped in the stables with rods.Works in 10 volumes. Vol.5. 188 During 1829–1833 Taras copied paintings of Suzdal masters. For almost two and a half years, from fall of 1828 to start of 1831, Shevchenko stayed with his master in Vilno (
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
). Details of the travel are not well known. Perhaps, there he attended lectures by painting professor Jan Rustem at the University of Vilnius. In the same city, Shevchenko could also have witnessed the November Uprising of 1830. From those times, Shevchenko's painting "Bust of a Woman" survived. It indicates almost professional handling of the pencil. In 1831, Engelgardt moved from Vilno to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and took Shevchenko along with him. To benefit from the art works (since it was prestigious to have one's own "chamber artist"), Engelgardt sent Shevchenko to painter Vasiliy Shiriayev for four-year study. From that point and until 1838 Shevchenko lived in the Khrestovskyi building (today Zahorodnii prospekt, 8) where Shiriayev rented an apartment. In his free time at night, Shevchenko visited the Summer Garden where he portrayed statues. In Saint Petersburg he also started writing his poems.Works in 10 volumes. Vol.7. Book 2. 350, 353 In 1833 Shevchenko painted a portrait of his master Pavlo Engelgardt ( National Museum Taras Shevchenko). In his novel "Artist" Shevchenko described that during the pre-academical period he painted such works as "Apollo Belvedere", "Fraklete", "
Heraclitus Heraclitus of Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἡράκλειτος , "Glory of Hera"; ) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. Little is known of Heraclitus's life. He wrot ...
", "Architectural barelief", "Mask of Fortune". He participated in painting of the Big Theatre as artist apprentice. He created a composition "Alexander of Macedon shows trust towards his doctor Philip". The drawing was created for a contest of the
Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thr ...
, announced in 1830.


Out of serfdom

In Saint Petersburg Shevchenko met Ukrainian artist
Ivan Soshenko Ivan Maksymovych Soshenko ( uk, Іван Максимович Сошенко, 2 June 1807 Bohuslav, in the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire — 18 July 1876 Korsun) was a Ukrainian painter. Soshenko studied at the Saint Petersburg Academy ...
, who introduced him to other compatriots such as Yevhen Hrebinka and Vasyl Hryhorovych, and to Russian painter Alexey Venetsianov. Through these men Shevchenko also met famous painter and professor Karl Briullov, who donated his portrait of Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky as a lottery prize. Its proceeds were used to buy Shevchenko's freedom on 5 May 1838.


First successes

Shevchenko was accepted as a student into the Academy of Arts in the workshop of Karl Briullov in the same year. The following year he became a resident student at the '' Association for the Encouragement of Artists''. During annual examinations at the
Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thr ...
, Shevchenko won the silver medal for landscape painting. In 1840 he again received the silver medal, this time for his first oil painting, '' The Beggar Boy Giving Bread to a Dog''. Shevchenko began writing poetry while still being a serf, and in 1840 his first collection of poetry, '' Kobzar'', was published. According to Ivan Franko, a renowned Ukrainian poet in the generation after Shevchenko, " 'Kobzar''was "a new world of poetry. It burst forth like a spring of clear, cold water, and sparkled with a clarity, breadth, and elegance of artistic expression not previously known in Ukrainian writing". In 1841, the epic poem '' Haidamaky'' was released. In September 1841, Shevchenko was awarded his third silver medal for ''The Gypsy Fortune Teller''. Shevchenko also wrote plays. In 1842, he released a part of the tragedy ''Mykyta Haidai'' and in 1843 he completed the drama ''Nazar Stodolia''. While residing in Saint Petersburg, Shevchenko made three trips to
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, in 1843, 1845, and 1846. The difficult conditions Ukrainians had made a profound impact on the poet-painter. Shevchenko visited his siblings, still enserfed, and other relatives. He met with prominent Ukrainian writers and intellectuals Yevhen Hrebinka,
Panteleimon Kulish Panteleimon Oleksandrovych Kulish (also spelled ''Panteleymon'' or ''Pantelejmon Kuliš'', uk, Пантелеймон Олександрович Куліш, August 7, 1819 – February 14, 1897) was a Ukrainian writer, critic, poet, folkloris ...
, and Mykhaylo Maksymovych, and was befriended by the princely Repnin family, especially Varvara. In 1844, distressed by the condition of Ukrainian regions in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
, Shevchenko decided to capture some of his homeland's historical ruins and cultural monuments in an album of etchings, which he called '' Picturesque Ukraine''. Only the first six etchings were printed because of the lack of means to continue. An album of watercolors from historical places and pencil drawings was done in 1845.


Exile

On 22 March 1845, the Council of the Academy of Arts granted Shevchenko the title of a non-classed artist. He again traveled to Ukraine where he met with historian Nikolay Kostomarov and other members of the
Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius The Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius ( uk, Кирило-Мефодіївське братство, russian: Кирилло-Мефодиевское братство) was a short-lived secret political society that existed in Kiev (now Kyi ...
, a clandestine society also known as ''Ukrainian-Slavic society'' and dedicated to the political
liberalization Liberalization or liberalisation (British English) is a broad term that refers to the practice of making laws, systems, or opinions less severe, usually in the sense of eliminating certain government regulations or restrictions. The term is used m ...
of the Empire and its transformation into a
federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...
-like polity of Slavic nations. Upon the society's suppression by the authorities, Shevchenko's wrote a poem "Dream", that was confiscated from the society's members and became one of the major issues of the scandal. Shevchenko was arrested together with the members of the society on 5 April 1847. Tsar Nicholas I read Shevchenko's poem, "Dream". Vissarion Belinsky wrote in his memoirs that, Nicholas I, knowing Ukrainian very well, laughed and chuckled whilst reading the section about himself, but his mood quickly turned to bitter hatred when he read about his wife. Shevchenko had mocked her frumpy appearance and facial tics, which she had developed fearing the Decembrist Uprising and its plans to kill her family. After reading this section the Tsar indignantly stated "I suppose he had reasons not to be on terms with me, but what has she done to deserve this?" In the official report of Orlov Shevchenko was accused of composing poetry in "Little-Russian language" (archaic Russian name for
Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state lan ...
) of outrageous content. Instead of being grateful to be redeemed out of
serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...
. In the report, Orlov listed the crimes as advocating and inspiring Ukrainian nationalists, alleging enslavement and misfortune of
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, glorified the Hetman Administration (
Cossack Hetmanate The Cossack Hetmanate ( uk, Гетьманщина, Hetmanshchyna; or ''Cossack state''), officially the Zaporizhian Host or Army of Zaporizhia ( uk, Військо Запорозьке, Viisko Zaporozke, links=no; la, Exercitus Zaporoviensis) ...
) and Cossack liberties and "with incredible audacity poured slander and bile on persons of Imperial House". While under investigation, Shevchenko was imprisoned in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in casemates of the 3rd Department of Imperial Chancellery on Panteleimonovskaya Street (today Pestelia str., 9). After being convicted, he was exiled as a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
to the Russian military garrison in
Orenburg Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the border with Kazakhst ...
at Orsk, near the
Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...
.
Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Nicholas I, personally confirmed his sentence, added to it, "Under the strictest surveillance, without the right to write or paint." He was subsequently sent on a forced march from Saint Petersburg to Orenburg and Orsk. Next year in 1848, he was assigned to undertake the first Russian naval expedition of the
Aral Sea The Aral Sea ( ; kk, Арал теңізі, Aral teñızı; uz, Орол денгизи, Orol dengizi; kaa, Арал теңизи, Aral teńizi; russian: Аральское море, Aral'skoye more) was an endorheic lake lying between Kazak ...
on the ship "Konstantin", under the command of Lieutenant Butakov. Although officially a common private, Shevchenko was effectively treated as an equal by the other members of the expedition. He was tasked to sketch various landscapes around the coast of the Aral Sea. After an 18-month voyage (1848–49) Shevchenko returned with his album of drawings and paintings to Orenburg. Most of those drawings were created for a detailed account of the expedition. Nevertheless, Shevchenko created many unique works of art about the Aral Sea nature and Kazakhstan people at a time when
Russian conquest of Central Asia The partially successful conquest of Central Asia by the Russian Empire took place in the second half of the nineteenth century. The land that became Russian Turkestan and later Soviet Central Asia is now divided between Kazakhstan in the nor ...
had begun in the middle of the nineteenth century. He was then sent to one of the worst penal settlements, the remote fortress of Novopetrovsk at Mangyshlak Peninsula, where he spent seven terrible years. In 1851, at the suggestion of fellow serviceman Bronisław Zaleski, lieutenant colonel Mayevsky assigned him to the Mangyshlak (Karatau) geological expedition. In 1857 Shevchenko finally returned from exile after receiving amnesty from a new emperor, though he was not permitted to return to St. Petersburg and was forced to stay in
Nizhniy Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
. In May 1859, Shevchenko got permission to return to
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
. He intended to buy a plot of land close to the village Pekari. In July, he was again arrested on a charge of
blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religio ...
, but then released and ordered to return to St. Petersburg.


Death

Taras Shevchenko spent the last years of his life working on new poetry, paintings, and engravings, as well as editing his older works. After difficult years in exile, however, his illnesses took their toll upon him. Shevchenko died in Saint Petersburg on 10 March 1861. He was first buried at the Smolensk Cemetery in Saint Petersburg. However, fulfilling Shevchenko's wish, expressed in his poem "Testament" (''"Zapovit"''), to be buried in
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, his friends arranged the transfer of his remains by train to Moscow and then by horse-drawn wagon to his homeland. Shevchenko was re-buried on 8 May on the '' Chernecha hora'' (Monk's Hill; today Taras Hill) near the
Dnipro River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...
and
Kaniv Kaniv ( uk, Канів, ) city located in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast ( province) in central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is also one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper. It hosts the administration of Kaniv ...
. A tall mound was erected over his grave, now a memorial part of the Kaniv Museum-Preserve. Dogged by terrible misfortune in love and life, the poet died seven days before the 1861 emancipation of serfs was announced. His works and life are revered by Ukrainians throughout the world and his impact on Ukrainian literature is immense.


Poetic works

237 poems were written by Taras Shevchenko but only 28 of these were published in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
and the other 6 in the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
over his lifetime.


Example of poetry: "Testament" (''Zapovit'')

Shevchenko's "Testament", (''Zapovit'', 1845), has been translated into more than 150 languages and set to music in the 1870s by H. Hladky.


Artwork

835 works survived into modern times in original form and partly in
prints In molecular biology, the PRINTS database is a collection of so-called "fingerprints": it provides both a detailed annotation resource for protein families, and a diagnostic tool for newly determined sequences. A fingerprint is a group of conserved ...
engraved on metal and wood by Russian and other foreign engravers, while some works survived as copies done by painters while Shevchenko still lived. There is data on over 270 more works that were lost and have not been found yet. Painted and engraved works at the time of completion are dated 1830-1861 and are territorially related to Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The genres are - portraits, compositions on mythological, historical, and household themes, architectural landscapes, and scenery. The techniques used for that were
oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest ...
on canvas,
watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...
, sepia, inking, lead pencil, as well as etching on separate sheets of white, colored and tinted paper of different sizes and in five albums. A significant part of Shevchenko's artistic heritage consists of completed paintings, however, there are also sketches, etudes, and
outlines Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edg ...
which are no less valuable for understanding Shevchenko's methods and artistic path. Of all Shevchenko's paintings, only a small part has any authorial signatures or inscriptions and an even a smaller part has dated.


Family

Shevchenko never married. He had six siblings and at least three step-siblings, of whom only Stepan Tereshchenko (1820?–unknown) is known. Some sources connect him to the
Tereshchenko family Members of the Tereshchenko family have achieved prominence in Ukraine and the world as businessmen, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and landowners, beginning in the 18th century. The family has Cossack roots and comes from the city of Hlukhiv (n ...
of Ukrainian industrialists. # Kateryna Hryhorivna Krasytska (Shevchenko) (1806–1850) married Anton Hryhorovych Krasytsky (1794–1848) ## Yakym Krasytsky ## Maksym Krasytsky (unknown–1910) ## Stepan Krasytsky ## Fedora Krasytska (1824?–unknown), known painter # Mykyta Hryhorovych Shevchenko (1811–1870?) ## Iryna Kovtun (Shevchenko) ## Prokop Shevchenko ## Petro Shevchenko (1847–1944?) # Maria Hryhorivna Shevchenko (1814?–unknown) (His twin sister) # Yaryna Hryhorivna Boiko (Shevchenko) (1816–1865) married Fedir Kondratievych Boiko (1811–1850) ## Maryna Boiko ## Ustyna Boiko (1836–unknown) ## Illarion Boiko (1840–unknown) ## Lohvyn Boiko (1842–unknown) ## Ivan Boiko (1845–unknown) ## Lavrentiy Boiko (1847–unknown) # Maria Hryhorivna Shevchenko (1819–1846) # Yosyp Hryhorovych Shevchenko (1821–1878) married Matrona Hryhorivna Shevchenko (1820?–unknown), a distant relative ## Andriy Shevchenko ## Ivan Shevchenko ## Trokhym Shevchenko (20 September 1843 – unknown)


Heritage and legacy


Impact

Taras Shevchenko's writings formed the foundation for the modern Ukrainian literature to a degree that he is also considered the founder of the modern written
Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state lan ...
(although
Ivan Kotlyarevsky Ivan Petrovych Kotliarevsky ( uk, Іван Петрович Котляревський) ( in Poltava – in Poltava, Russian Empire, now Ukraine) was a Ukrainian writer, poet and playwright, social activist, regarded as the pioneer of modern Ukr ...
pioneered the literary work in what was close to the modern Ukrainian in the end of the 18th century). Shevchenko's poetry contributed greatly to the growth of Ukrainian national consciousness, and his influence on various facets of Ukrainian intellectual, literary, and national life is still felt to this day. Influenced by
Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
, Shevchenko managed to find his own manner of poetic expression that encompassed themes and ideas germane to Ukraine and his personal vision of its past and future. In view of his literary importance, the impact of his artistic work is often missed, although his contemporaries valued his artistic work no less, or perhaps even more than his literary work. A great number of his pictures, drawings, and etchings preserved to this day testify to his unique artistic talent. He also experimented with photography and it is little known that Shevchenko may be considered to have pioneered the art of etching in the Russian Empire (in 1860 he was awarded the title of Academician in the
Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thr ...
specifically for his achievements in etching.) His influence on Ukrainian culture has been so immense, that even during Soviet times, the official position was to downplay strong
Ukrainian nationalism Ukrainian nationalism refers to the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and it also refers to the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The nation building that arose as nationalism grew following the French ...
expressed in his poetry, suppressing any mention of it, and to put an emphasis on the social and anti-Tsarist aspects of his legacy, the
Class struggle Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The form ...
within the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. Shevchenko, who himself was born a
serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
and suffered tremendously for his political views in opposition to the established order of the Empire, was presented in the Soviet times as an internationalist who stood up in general for the plight of the poor classes exploited by the reactionary political regime rather than the vocal proponent of the Ukrainian national idea. This view is significantly revised in modern independent Ukraine, where he is now viewed as almost an iconic figure with unmatched significance for the Ukrainian nation, a view that has been mostly shared all along by the
Ukrainian diaspora The Ukrainian diaspora comprises Ukrainians and their descendants who live outside Ukraine around the world, especially those who maintain some kind of connection, even if ephemeral, to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Uk ...
that has always revered Shevchenko. He inspired some of the protestors during the
Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhno ...
. The context of his poem " Testament" (Zapovit) was given credit of "resonating" with Ukraine's ongoing struggle during the invasion from Russia in 2022.


Monuments and memorials

There are many monuments to Shevchenko throughout Ukraine, most notably at his memorial in
Kaniv Kaniv ( uk, Канів, ) city located in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast ( province) in central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is also one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper. It hosts the administration of Kaniv ...
and in the center of
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
, just across from the Kyiv University that bears his name. The Kyiv Metro station, Tarasa Shevchenka, is also dedicated to Shevchenko. Among other notable monuments to the poet located throughout Ukraine are the ones in
Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
(in front of Shevchenko Park),
Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
, Luhansk and many others. The first statues of Shevchenko were erected in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
as part of their Ukrainization-policies.100 years ago the first monument to Taras Shevchenko was built for the Hetmanate
, Radio Svoboda (14 October 2018)
The first one was revealed in
Romny Romny ( uk, Ромни́, ) is a city in northern Ukrainian Sumy Oblast. It is located on the Romen River. Romny serves as the administrative centre of Romny Raion. It is administratively incorporated as a city of oblast significance and does ...
on 27 October 1918 when the city was located in the Ukrainian state. The following were erected in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(29 November 1918) and Petrograd (1 December 1918). The monuments in Moscow and Petrograd did not survive because they were made of inferior materials. The concrete statue in Romny also began to decay, but was remade in
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...
and re-unveiled in 1982. The original Romny statue is currently located in
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
's Andriyivskyy Descent. Ukrainian composer Tamara Maliukova Sidorenko (1919-2005) set several of Shevchenko’s poems to music. In 1957, upon the request of the Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society to write a symphonic work on the words of Shevchenko's "Message" ("To both the dead and the living ...") for the centenary of the poet's death, the Ukrainian-American composer Antin Rudnytsky (1902˗1975) wrote the symphonic cantata "Poslaniie" on Shevchenko's poem of the same title. From 1966 to 1968 artist Hanna Veres made a series of ornamental textiles, dedicated to Taras Shevchenko. The 1971 edition of Shevchenko's ''Kobzar'' is illustrated with reproductions of them, co-produced with Anna Vasylashchuk ( uk). After Ukraine gained its independence in the wake of the 1991 Soviet Collapse, some Ukrainian cities replaced their statues of
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
with statues of Taras Shevchenko and in some locations that lacked streets named to him, local authorities renamed the streets or squares to Shevchenko. There is also a bilingual Taras Shevchenko high school in Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania. Although Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, there is still a monument erected in his name in the city of
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, which was rebuilt with the new materials, replacing the old one in 2000. Outside of Ukraine and the former
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nati ...
, monuments to Shevchenko have been put up in many countries, usually under the initiative of local
Ukrainian diaspora The Ukrainian diaspora comprises Ukrainians and their descendants who live outside Ukraine around the world, especially those who maintain some kind of connection, even if ephemeral, to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Uk ...
s. There are several memorial societies and monuments to him throughout Canada and the United States, most notably the monument in Washington, D.C., near Dupont Circle. The granite monument was carved by Vincent Illuzzi of Barre, Vermont. The Washington, D.C. monument was designed by Ukrainian Canadian sculptor Leo Mol & architect Radoslav Zhuk. There is also a monument in Soyuzivka in New York State, Tipperary Hill in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city' ...
, a park is named after him in Elmira Heights, N.Y. and a street is named after him in New York City's East Village. There is also a Taras Shevchenko Park in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A section of Connecticut Route 9 that goes through
New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the D ...
is also named after Shevchenko. In
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
there are statues of Taras Shevchenko in
Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...
, at Ukraine Square, and in
Prudentópolis Prudentópolis is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Paraná, in Southern Brazil. As of 2020, it had a population of 52,513 people. It is the center of the Ukrainian community in Brazil. The Ukrainian city Ternopil is the sister city to ...
, 80% of whose population is of Ukrainian descent. A monument to Shevchenko was put up in
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
on May 21, 2015."A monument to Taras Shevchenko unveiled in Zagreb on May 21st"
, HKV
In Paris, off of Boulevard Saint Germain, there is square Taras Chevchenko, with a bronze bust by Lysenko. There is also a statue of Taras Shevchenko in the central park near the St. Krikor Lusavorich Cathedral in Yerevan, Armenia. There is a bust of Taras Shevchenko in the Ukrainian Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park, Cleveland, Ohio, United States. There is a bust of Shevchenko in the Østre Anlæg park in Copenhagen, Denmark. A gift from the Danish-Ukrainian Society, it was designed by Sergei Boguslavsky and unveiled on 24 September 2010, making it the first in Scandnavia and North-Western Europe.


Gallery


See also

* Legacy of Taras Shevchenko * List of things named after Taras Shevchenko * Taras Shevchenko Place, a street in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
*
Izbornyk Izbornyk is an internet-library project of the old Ukrainian literature also known as "History of Ukraine 9-18th centuries. Primary sources and interpretation". It functions since the 21st of August 2001. The project is a collection of major works ...
, contains collection of his works (free access) *
Shevchenko National Prize Shevchenko National Prize ( uk, Націона́льна пре́мія Украї́ни і́мені Тараса́ Шевче́нка; also ''Shevchenko Award'') is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since ...
, Ukrainian State literary and artistic award * Shevchenko Park (disambiguation)


Footnotes

a. At the time of birth of Taras Shevchenko, the parish register of the village of Moryntsi was in Russian (the official language of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
), and he was recorded as Taras ("" ). At that time serfs' patronymic names were not identified in documents (for example, see text of a "free-to-go" document from 22 April 1838: ""). During Shevchenko's lifetime in Ukrainian texts two variants were used: "" (see the letter of Hryhory Kvitka-Osnovyanenko fro
October 23, 1840
"")

''. Kyiv:
Naukova dumka Naukova Dumka ( uk, Наукова Думка — literally "scientific thought") is a publishing house in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was established by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1922, largely owing to the efforts of Ahatanhel Kry ...
, 1993.
and "" (the letter of same author fro
April 29, 1842
""). In Russian it is accepted to write «Тарас Григорьевич Шевченко», in Ukrainian—«Тарас Григорович Шевченко», in other languages—transliterating from the Ukrainian name, for example "''Taras Hryhorovich Shevchenko''.
b. Note #10 in the parish register of Moryntsi for 1814 (preserved in the Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv):Documents and materials, 3 ""
c. This episode is described in the Taras Shevchenko's novel ''Princess''. It is also retold by Oleksandr Konysky in his book ''Taras Shevchenko-Hrushivsky'', claiming that the first who told the story of "iron pillars" was Oleksandr Lazarevsky.
d. Parish register of the village of Moryntsi for 1823, note #16. Preserved at the Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv.
e. See article on Oksana Antonivna Tereshchenko in the Shevchenko dictionary.


References


Further reading

* Magazine
Osnova The Ukrainian journal ''Osnova'' (meaning ''Basis'' in English) was published between 1861 and 1862 in Saint Petersburg. It contained articles devoted to life and customs of the Ukrainian people, including regular features about their wedding c ...
, 1862. * Cherkasy Regional Archives. * Magazine Kyivan Past, 1882. * Magazine "Odesa Herald", 1892. * Central State Historic Archives of the Ukrainian SSR. Kyiv. * Shevchenko, T. Documents and materials. Kyiv: Derzhpolitvydav URSR, 1963. * Shevchenko, T. Complete collection of works in ten volumes. Kyiv: Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, 1951-1964. * Victor Pogadaev. Taras Shevchenko: Jubli ke-200. - in: Pentas, Jil. 9, Bil. 1 - Mac 2014. Kuala Lumpur: Istana Budaya, 45-49 (in Malay) * Shevchenko, T. Kobzar (The Complete English Edition with Illustrations). London: Glagoslav Publications, 2013. , * Zinaida Tulub. The Exile (Biographical fiction about Taras Shevchenko). London: Glagoslav Publications, 2015.


External links

* *
Shevchenko, Taras
in th
Encyclopedia of Ukraine



"Taras Shevchenko: Poet, Artist, Icon" (Video)
*

(biography by Dmytro Doroshenko)
Shevchenko in English translations

Interactive biography of Taras Shevchenko in various languages including English

Poems by Taras Shevchenko for reading online in Ukrainian

Taras Shevchenko Museum of Canada

Taras Shevchenko Museum of Canada
English Translations of the Poetry of Taras Shevchenko



* ttp://www.infoukes.com/shevchenkomuseum/ Taras Shevchenko Museum & Memorial Park Foundation
Video Tour: Taras Shevchenko Museum in Toronto (Музей Тараса Шевченка, Торонто)


* '' ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DpSL0d7Ork Відповідь на молитву / Answer to prayer', short film by Maxim Neafit Bujnicki,
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
in tribute to Shevchenko * Drafts of the translation from Ukrainian of ''The Poetical Works of Taras Shevchenko'' are held in th
Watson Kirkconnell fonds (R1847)
at
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...
Monuments
Infoukes.com
—Shevchenko Monument In Oakville, ON, Canada
Pbase
Shevchenko Monument in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shevchenko, Taras 1814 births 1861 deaths People from Cherkasy Oblast People from Kiev Governorate Ukrainian people in the Russian Empire Ukrainian democracy activists Ukrainian nationalists Ukrainian illustrators Ukrainian poets Ukrainian ethnographers Ukrainian dramatists and playwrights Dramatists and playwrights from the Russian Empire Male writers from the Russian Empire 19th-century Ukrainian dramatists and playwrights Ukrainian prisoners and detainees Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv faculty Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius members Hromada (society) members 19th-century Ukrainian painters 19th-century Ukrainian male artists Ukrainian male painters Ukrainian exiles in the Russian Empire Ukrainian dissidents 19th-century Ukrainian writers Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts Serfs