Love stories of Transcarpathian classics

Or beloved women of the famous artists?

Artists, dancers, teachers, childhood love and occasional affairs – what women were the muses for Transcarpathian artists? The artists had not only rich art life but also a lot of romance in personal relationships.

Some of them were real ladies’ men, others – faithful husbands. And some believed that love affects art. What were they – wives and mistresses of the artists? Who are they, Transcarpathian muses?

Hungarians, Russians, fellow women students

The wife of the famous Transcarpathian artist Yosyp Bokshai was Marharyta Arvoi. She was 12 years younger than him. She was born in a very cultured Uzhhorod Hungarian family. Marharyta and Yosyp met at the gymnasium. She was an obedient student; he was a teacher. It was Bokshai who corrected the paintings of the girl in high school and Marharyta said laughing: “Professor, do not show me my works, because I'm ashamed.” Despite the fact that they had feelings, Yosyp Bokshai could not make a proposal for a long time. He almost lost her, because Marharyta was going to marry another man and they were even engaged. But it happened as in a Hollywood movie. Once Bokshai made a proposal and they decided to be together. Yosyp became a famous artist, Marharyta – a teacher at the Hungarian school.

Vasyl Habda's wife was a Russian woman – Halyna Tyshchenko. She was born in Moscow. At the age of 15 she got to Ukraine. Together with her parents, the girl came to Uzhhorod, where her mother got a job of a guidance counsellor at the choreography department of the House of Folk Art. By the way, she was lucky to get to Uzhhorod, because in the Carpathians their train was fired by the “woodmen” – local rebels. She had to lie down on the floor not to get shot. Halyna and Vasyl met in 1949. The latter was so impressed that he even remembered the colour of the girl's dress. They were friends for 6 years and only in 1955 Vasyl made a proposal. The couple got a blessing of Adalbert Erdeli. Halyna always told Erdeli that the paintings of Habda were the best. There were all the representatives of the creative intelligentsia of the region and famous artists at their wedding. Even the representatives of the KGB, who closely followed the artist.

The wife of Yurii Herts Nataliia was Russian as well. Her maiden name was Tolstaia and she was the daughter of “white emigrants”. During the October revolution, her family moved from Moscow to Prague. A little later, fate led them to Transcarpathia. Nataliia got acquainted with Yurii at the Uzhhorod School of Applied Arts, where they studied together. Thus, everything started. They had interesting dates: first, they went to the student's canteen, which was next to the Philharmonic Hall, where they ate their lunch and then they went to the cinema. Accordingly, they had a student-like wedding. So, they just registered their marriage, had dinner in a restaurant and went to Horinchovo village (Khust district) to get acquainted with the bride’s mother. The wedding trip was even more romantic – voluntary student work at the Tereblia-Rika Hydropower plant. By the way, Nataliia Herts was also an artist – a master of tapestry and carpet weaving. The artistic couple repeatedly organized joint exhibitions.

Viacheslav Prykhodko also married his student love. His beloved was Olena Krainianytsia. Throughout her life, she was a faithful companion of the artist and managed to develop professionally: she combined speciality of the English philologist and art critic.

Childhood love and helping hand

Anton Kashshai's love story began in his youth. He met Olena when he was 13. At that time her parents bought a house in Domanyntsi village, where the Kashshai family lived. It was love at first sight. They were friends for a long time, they spent all the time together. He often walked her to school and back, so their friends thought that Anton was Olena's brother. They married in July 1945.

Anton Shepa has another love story. It changed his life very much. The artist was rather poor and his future wife Rada helped him to find the way out. In the late 1960s, it was organized an exhibition of the Kyiv sculptor Borodai in Uzhhorod. Rada came to the regional centre of Transcarpathia as his referent. Shepa was present at the exhibition. Thus, the artist Volodymyr Mykyta introduced them to each other.

Young people got talking, Rada learned about Shepa, about conditions he was living in (he lived in the apartment at the today’s L. Tolstoi square), about his health problems. The woman felt sorry for the artist and, considering her connections, she set him up in an exclusive hospital for cultural figures. This actually saved A. Shepa’s life. Of course, they kept in touch and eventually, it turned to love and marriage.

Art helped Vilmos Berets to find his love as well. He met his wife at the famous Tretyakov Gallery. In spring 1948, the artist was sent to Moscow for exhibits to be restored. During the work on the old canvases, a young artist Olena Churakova was working next to him. By the way, she came from the famous Moscow art family of the artist-sculptor Serhii Churakov. Interestingly, Olena had six brothers and two sisters. It was there, in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery, that a feeling was born. In 1951, they married and in 5 years they had a baby girl – Marharyta, who also became an artist. The wife of Vilmos Berets was working as a restorer of oil easel painting, and from 1963 to 1983 – the main keeper of the funds of the Transcarpathian Art Museum. She was a devotee of museum work. For decades, until retirement, Olena was actively participating in the life of the Transcarpathian Art Museum.

One of the most famous artistic couples of Transcarpathia can be considered the family of Pavlo Bedzir. His wife was a famous Uzhhorod artist, a bright representative of the “Sixtiers” of the Silver Land Yelyzaveta Kremnytska. Fate brought two extraordinary artists together in 1952 after Yelyzaveta’s personal exhibition. The whole town knew about the talented and unordinary people who constantly competed with each other in creativity. As the art critic M. Syrokhman wrote, P. Bedzir and O. Kremnytska experienced difficulties, indigence and served art together. Life was full of contrasts and asceticism. Fasting was replaced by feasts. They were poor but left a rich creative heritage.

“For most of the artists, wife is a curse, if she is not his inspiring demon ...”

One can single out a private life of another leading figure of Transcarpathian painting – Adalbert Erdeli. It is said that he was a real ladies' man. But he was not interested in marriage.

A famous artist Ernest Kontratovych, his student, said that it was A. Erdeli who said: “Family responsibilities make the artist draw commercially expedient. And creativity should not be false. You paint what you can sell and that's prostitution in art.”

Another phrase about family values by A. Erdeli deserves attention. “For most of the artists, wife is a curse, if she is not his inspiring demon. Some women are even able to make an artist out of their husbands. But the true artist always remains himself.” Nevertheless, A. Erdeli was married. And not once.

The book of Oleksandr Havrosh “The Secret of Erdeli” sheds light on the artist’s love stories. Here are some known facts about his love affairs. In particular, in 1947, he married the bank employee Silviia Yanish. However, this marriage lasted only for 2 weeks. The artist was then 55 years old. Before this, he had a crazy love in Paris – her name was Genevieve Gojar. It was both romantic and dramatic story. The result of these relationships was the opportunity to organize good exhibitions in Prague, Bratislava, Paris, and Brussels. There is also information that in the 1930s, Adalbert Erdeli had another fiancée Ahlaiia Sereni.

But his true and great love was Mahdalyna Slyvka. When they met, there was a big age difference – she was 16 and he was 41. All her life she was calling him "don". She was a gymnast and dancer, working for some time in Italy. When a young girl, she got a perfect build, which, apparently, attracted the famous artist.

Mahda masterfully played cards and thus could make money. Despite their affair, they were living in a civil marriage for a long time – 21 years. Because of this, Erdeli even had a conflict with the Greek Catholic Church.

The artist married Mahdalyna before his death in the hospital with the doctors being the groomsmen. Mahdalyna lived for another 40 years after the death of her husband. In 2004, robbers broke into her house and stole about fifty paintings by her late husband. She died of shock.

Text: Denys Fazekash
© Art & Culture Foundation Brovdi Art