SYROKHMAN MYKHAILO

Honoured Culture Worker of Ukraine (2009). Laureate of the Regional Prize named after Y. Bokshai and A. Erdeli for his art works of 2000, 2009, 2012, and 2014. Co-founder of public organization “Pro Urbe”. Graduate of Fine Arts Studio of Zoltan Bakoniia. The artist graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Uzhhorod State University (1977). He became interested in art in his student years. His teacher and advisor was a well-known graphic artist, one of the leaders of the artistic avant-garde of the “Sixtiers” in Transcarpathia Pavlo Bedzir. Since 1989, he has been a lecturer in Uzhhorod College of Arts named after A. Erdeli, and since 2009 – in the Transcarpathian Academy of Arts.

Actively engaged in scientific research activities. The artist specializes in the study of Fine Arts of Transcarpathia of the XX century and up to the present time, as well as in the wooden temple architecture of the Carpathian region. He wrote hundreds of essays, articles, prefaces to the albums and catalogues of Transcarpathian artists, one of the most recent in 2018 is the prefaces to the albums “Watercolour Of Transcarpathia” and “G. Gluck. Graphics”. Author of such books as “Churches Of Ukraine. Transcarpathia” (2000), “Lost Churches Of Transcarpathia” (1999), and guides “55 Wooden Churches Of Transcarpathia” (2008), and “Wooden Churches And Bell Towers Of Transcarpathia” (2016).

In the graphic works of the artist, there is undeniable influence of Pavlo Bedzir. However, unlike Bedzir's manner of drawing white strokes on the black background, he creates his images by applying dark, coloured, and combined strokes on white paper. In his work, he is consistent and constant. For decades, he adheres to the chosen formula of his own author's technique - paper, watercolour, gouache. The images are generalized, without small realistic details, accentuated by restrained tone palette and expressive strokes. A person is limited by the existence in time, so the artist is interested in timeless images and symbols, among which there are stones, as an allegory of the Earth, water as the basis of life, trees as a symbol of living nature, and a temple as a spiritual beginning.

In 2017, the world saw the first art album of the graphics of Mykhailo Syrokhman. The publication presents the 35-year-old creative cut of the works created by the author during 1981- 2016. Graphic sheets from the series “Polonyny”, “Mountain Lakes”, “Life Of Stones” and a separate block with pictures of wooden sacral architecture are placed in two separate thematic sections – “Talismans Of Inconstancy” and “Tame The Skyline”.

The thirst to explore the art and culture of the region and the most important thing – to convey its true value to the public does not leave the author. He continues to work productively on numerous topics, materials on each of which for a long time carefully selects as precious pearls for a necklace.

Therefore, in 2018, the art historian presented the results of such painstaking work: the book “Pavlo Bedzir” was published in “Vydavnytsvo Oleksandry Harkushi” – the fruit of great respect and devotion of the author to the artistic talent and human phenomenon of this outstanding representative of the Transcarpathian School of painting.

Oleksandr Nikitchuk