BODNAR YURII

Yurii Bodnar was born on 28 June 1955 in Dovhe village, Irshava region (Transcarpathia). 

The artist recalls that he was keen on painting since his childhood. When he was a child, his friends offered him to go outside, to play football, but he took paper, paints and drew sketches in nature. It is the creativity of the classics of Transcarpathian School of painting Anton Kashshai became a motivating, reference model for a young artist. He scrupulously studied and wondered what a masterful art of depicting nature it was!

Although relatives did not share the choice of artistic speciality, Yurii went to Ternopil to study at the Republican school of decorators-advertising critics. There one of his iconic teachers was an art critic, honoured worker of the culture of Ukraine, organizer of the first Ukrainian festival of Lemko culture “Vatra” – Ihor Duda.

Upon completion of training, since 1976, the artist worked at the Ternopil Art and Production Complex of the Art Fund of Ukraine, carrying out artistic work in monumental-decorative painting.

Yurii Bodnar began his creative career in 1978. The artist works in easel and monumental painting, proving himself in the genres of landscape, portrait and thematic compositions. He paints mainly with tempera and oil paints.

For almost thirty years, Yurii Bodnar lived and worked in the Ternopil region, but he constantly felt the call of his native land: this atmosphere, nature, mentality—everything is so colourful!.  Therefore, in 2003, he decided to move to Transcarpathia with his family. Subsequently, the artist noted that his works of the early period were more muffled, and then, when he returned to his native land, the colours of the paintings became more intense and expressive, which, of course, is the result of the impact of the Transcarpathian school including the region as a whole. 

According to the author, “The work of the artist is then harmonious and complete, when all factors work together in his creation: the soul, mind, emotions, and body.”

The artist found his own author's style, which can be found in ancient iconography and got an apt name “rayism”. Paintings of the artist are drenched and soaked in sunbeam.  For some, it's bright and clean, while for others, it seems to be breaking through obstacles. The luminous rays do not have specific source and illuminate the work from inside, form the entire spaces through which the image comes to life, moves, firstly closer, then moving away from the viewer. The artist's works are associative, symbolic and allegorical, they have elaborate iconographic plastic figures and rich colour palette.

Moreover, this is no accident, because, as the artist himself explains, since childhood, it was laid a grain of spirituality, which we grow and cherish in our own families with like-minded people. I always want to add an element of spirituality to my works — an angel or, as my wife calls it, divine light — the light of spirituality.

Since 1989, Yurii Bodnar has been a regular participant in local, regional, republican and all-Ukrainian exhibitions; international expositions and plein-airs, symposia and festivals in 2005-2013 (Poland, Slovakia, and Croatia). The artist was awarded the First Prize “Matica Slovenska” at the IV Biennial of the Iconography and Sacred Art of the Carpathian Euroregion (2011).

The artist's works are in private collections in France, USA, Israel, Germany, Tunisia, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic and Ukraine.

The works of Yurii Bodnar replenished the permanent exposition of the National Museum of Regional Studies (Ternopil), the Museum of the Cossacks in Baturyn and the funds of the Transcarpathian Regional Art Museum named after Y. Bokshai (Uzhhorod).