Mykola Storozhenko (painter)


Mykola Storozhenko was a Ukrainian painter. He won the 1988 Shevchenko National Prize.

Biography

Born on 24 September 1928, in the village of Viazove, Konotop District, Sumy region.
In 1945, after completing his 7th year of school, Storozhenko entered Odessa State Art College where some of his teachers were M. A. Sheliuto and L. Y. Muchnyk.
In 1950, he graduated from Odessa State Art College and started his studies in Kyiv State Institute of Arts. His teachers were Tetyana Yablonska, M. A. Sharonov, and S. O. Hryhoriev, all of whom are recognised as outstanding Ukrainian painters.
While studying in the institute, in 1953–1954, Storozhenko visited Kazakhstan and Altai and created more than eight hundred sketches based on severe realities of the life of virgin land tillers.
Upon completion of his studies in the Institute of Arts in 1956 Storozhenko has written a thesis titles "The First Shoots". In 1957, this work was exhibited at the 6th International Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow; its author was a participant in the festival's international fine arts studio.
Upon graduating the institute, Storozhenko continued his creative work. At that time, he elaborated the new professional views on the artistic form and technology of mosaic, hot and cold encaustic, and tested the new approaches to the color circle and monotype making. He renovated artistic techniques, modernized the formulas and methods for using materials. Based on that, and using the newly created specialized instruments and tools, he created innovative works such as "Kyiv Mohyla Academy of the 17th—18th centuries", mosaic "Scythian Ukraine: Hellas of the Steppes", mosaic "Brightened with the Light", hot encaustic, "The Trinity murals in the cupola of St. Mykola Prytyska Church, cold encaustic and others.
From 1974 until today, Storozhenko has been working as a pedagogue in the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture of Ukraine holding professor office at the Subfaculty of Painting and Composition. Since 1994, he has been worked as the head of the newly created Studio of Painting and Iconographic Art and of the Department of Training at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. Students from all over the world – the United States, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, France, Italy, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Greece are Storozhenko's pupils.
Storozhenko's artistic works are located:
In private collections and galleries:
Storozhenko's works were exhibited in different countries, receiving the 1st grade, 2nd grade awards or special diplomas. These include "The First Shoots", "The Birch Tree", "Amidst the Steppes", "Fata Morgana", "Anaconda" and many others.
In 1979, he was awarded the 2nd silver medal at the 12th-International Contest in Sofia for his Bulgarian Folk Tales series.
In 1988, he was awarded the highest state prize — Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine for his Ukrainian Folk Tales series and graphics.
1990 — honorary citizen of Winnipeg and Brandon.
1997 – People's Artist of Ukraine.
In 1999, awarded the Honorary Diplomas of the American and Cambridge Biographical Institutes; his biography was included in the reference book "The Life of the Famous".
In 2000, awarded the Gold Medal of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts for his works "The Trinity", "The Seraphim", "St. Mykola the Miracle Man" and the architectonic design of the central part of St. Mykola Prytyska Church.
In 2001, he was elected academician secretary of the Department of Fine Arts and member of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts.
In 2004, awarded the 3rd degree Order of Merit by the Ukrainian State. Authored about sixty literary works and reviews in books, catalogues, and anthologies including "The Fairy Tale: A Winged Reality", Detskaya Literatura magazine, Moscow, 1984; "Truthful Sketchy Thoughts on the Creative Work of A. Marchuk", Kraków, 2001; essay reflections and preface to "Kobzar" by T. Shevchenko "I Can Read Logos in His Look", Kyiv: Dnipro Publishers, 2004; "Creative Work is Independent of Earthly Blessings", in "I. Sharov, 100-Contemporaries: Reflections on Ukraine", Kyiv, 2002; "Thoughts Beneath the Vault", Mystetski Obrii anthology, issue 1, 2002, Kyiv, and many others.

Major exhibitions

Participant in about 100 exhibitions: