HERTS NATALIІA

Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine since 1968.

Nataliia Herts was born on 16 October 1931 in Koshelevo village, Khust region, Transcarpathian region. In 1948, the girl went to her relatives to Moscow, where she first went to nursery school, and a year later – to the secondary art school, sculpture department. In two years, for family reasons, she returned home, where, with the assistance of the well-known Transcarpathian folklorist Petro Lintur, who saw the work of a talented girl, she entered the Uzhhorod College of Applied Arts. She finished her education in 1954. It was in Uzhhorod, where she met her future husband, the People's Artist of Ukraine Yurii Herts (married in 1955). At the college, she was fortunate enough to study at the coryphaei of the Transcarpathian school of painting Adalbert Erdeli and Yosyp Bokshai. In those years the Herts family enjoyed friendship with such artists as E. Kontratovych, F. Manailo, S. Petki and I. Harapko. The spouses were close friends to V. Svyda, A. Kashshai, and V. Mykyta.

Among the artist’s masterpieces, there are a lot of works of decorative and applied nature. Thus, at the beginning of her creative career, and in particular during her studies, the artist was engaged in different activities, tried her own forces both in painting and sculpture. As she herself told in her interview, "... first, to make a living, we made a wide variety of art works on order, including portraits of the leaders, and then, when we get back on our feet, somewhere in 1958 – 1959, my husband started his plein air activity, his paintings were at the republican exhibitions. When I made tapestries - they were also exhibited, our works were bought." By the way, the master read about the tapestry in one of the art magazines; the article said that in the Baltic States tapestries were revitalized in the modern interpretation – not ornamental, but figural. "Right about the same time one brought the knitted slippers with grey wool for our little son Serhii,” Natalia recalls. “I thought then that such a good material used for just for slippers. Maybe I shall try to weave something? I developed the technology, started with black and white tapestries. Then I found people who cut off the fleece. The natural sheep's wool was also grey, red, brown, so at first, I did not use artificial colours." Later Nataliia dyed the wool and picked up the necessary colour scheme herself.

As a result, there were unusually original and unique tapestries, portraits, still lifes, landscapes, thematic compositions ("The World" (tapestry, hand weaving, wool, 1985), "Dreams" (tapestry, hand weaving, wool, 1989). As noted by art critics, "... folk decorative and applied arts of Ukraine in the works of Nataliia Herts acquired a transformed, renewed sound. Adoring reflections on the history of their native land, folklore figures and characters are devoted to the people."

The artist worked a lot together with her husband Yurii. "We worked in one studio,” recalls Nataliia in one of the interviews. “We often even argued. I consulted with him when creating sketches as well, showed them "for approval". In the late 1990s, I had to abandon my work, because of allergy as I dyed the wool myself. It was getting worse, and my husband asked to leave it and stay at home."

Participant in art exhibitions: regional - since 1952, all-Ukrainian and all-union - since 1957, foreign ones - since 1974. The works of the artist were purchased by the Directorate of Exhibitions of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. They are also kept in museums of the country, in private collections of near and far abroad.