PRYIMYCH MYKHAILO

Mykhailo Pryimych was born on 19 November 1967 in Bystryi village (now Kotelnytsia village) of Volovets district, Transcarpathian region. He has been interested in art since his childhood. And the plein air meeting with a Transcarpathian artist Ivan Ilko influenced his choice of the future speciality.

From 1983 to 1987, he was studying at the Uzhhorod School of Applied Arts, Department of Art Wood. His teachers were I. Manailo, Y. Pal, and V. Sopilniak.

From 1989 to 1995, he was studying at the Lviv Academy of Arts, Department of Art Wood. The teachers who influenced the student's creative development were R. Vasylyk, V. Liubchenko, M. Bilan, V. Cherkasov, V. Ovsiichuk. When studying at the Academy, he headed a scientific society and started the research, which became his passion and even a sense of life in the future.

In 1995, Mykhailo Pryimych began his teaching activity as a lecturer at the Uzhhorod College of Arts named after A. Erdeli. In 1997, he became a deputy director of the college, and in 2004 – vice-rector of the Transcarpathian Art Institute. In 2001, he defended his PhD thesis.

In addition to researches and teaching, he was engaged in creativity. In 2003, he participated in the regional exhibition of sculptures. He made carving to the iconostasis of the Assumption Church in Mukachevo. His works are the roadside crosses near the Uzhhorod Greek Catholic Theological Academy named after Theodor Blessed of Rome, near the Cathedral in Uzhhorod and in Baranyntsi village.

As a scientific consultant, Mykhailo Pryimych took part in the restoration works of the Holy Assumption Greek Catholic Church in Bilky village, Transcarpathia. This temple is unique because in 1865 it was painted by the famous artist Ferdinand Vidra.

In 2007, the scientist presented a study on the Transcarpathian iconostases – “In front of you”. In 2008, for this monograph, in the genre “Work of Fine Art”, the author was awarded the Regional Prize named after Yosyp Bokshai and Adalbert Erdeli in the field of fine, applied and decorative arts.

Since 2010, he has been a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine.

For the series of publications and books on sacral and cultural attractions, which is a significant contribution to the study of the history of the Greek Catholic Church of Transcarpathia, the art critic was awarded the first Diocesan Prize named after the famous Transcarpathian historian and priest Mykhailo Luchkai. Subsequently, in 2018 M. Pryimych was also awarded the Bishops' Diploma and the Diocesan Prize.

The year 2015 was marked by the publication of another fundamental work by Mykhailo Pryimych – a book “Iconostases of Transcarpathia”. In his historical and art essays, the author describes a great collection of churches and cultural development of our land from the 18th century – the period when church art was an integral form of national revival. The book “Iconostases of Transcarpathia” was recognized as the best art publication at the “Book Fest 2015”.

The next publication was presented in 2017. It was the book-album “Church painting of Transcarpathia” with a 20-year study of the artistic processes of sacred character in the region until the first half of the 20th century.  According to the art expert, professional church painting became the foundation for the development of fine arts from the second half of the 18th century and thus ensured its further development during the 19th – 20th centuries. The publication cover depicts a unique icon of the 18th century, which for a long time served as a staircase board for the belfry of one of the temples of Volovets district found by the author by accident during his research. The book also lists the names of nearly hundreds of artists who worked in the region for three centuries. In 2017, it was published a monograph “Church professional painting of Transcarpathia of the second half of the 18th – the first half of the 20th century: folk tradition, Byzantine canonicity and influence of Western European art”.

The year 2018 was marked by the substantial result of multi-year hard work – at the Lviv National Academy of Arts, Mykhailo Pryimych defended his thesis for PhD in Arts.