SKAKANDI YULII

Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (since 1997). Member of the Union of Designers of Ukraine (since 2007). Honoured Artist of Ukraine (2008). Laureate of three international biennales in Italy (1993, 1995, 2017). The youngest of the three brothers, Yulii was born in Perechyn, Transcarpathian region, in an ordinary working family – his mother raised five children and his father worked first in school, and later in the commercial department of the university.

Skakandi got his basic knowledge of painting from Zoltan Bakoniia – Yulii attended his studio since childhood. "Thanks to him, my brothers and I followed this path," the artist recalls.

In 1964, Yulii Skakandi graduated with honours from the Uzhhorod State Art and Industrial School, art painting speciality – there Mykola and Edita Medvetska, who, according to Yulii himself, changed his worldview, influenced the formation of the art personality. In 1974, he became a graduate of the Kyiv State Art Institute, majoring in graphic art.

The painter presents rather Kyiv than Transcarpathian school of painting, as upon his graduation from the institute he stayed in the capital, where he lives and works until today. But his love for the native land is still noticed – he annually visits plein airs in Transcarpathia, creates a lot of works connected with the Silver Land.

"I was looking for myself, and when I succeeded, I began getting back to the traditions of the Transcarpathian school of painting, watercolour. I’d like to be a contemporary and a versatile artist. I want to show that Transcarpathian artists are not just landscape painters, as they are used to thinking. One cannot dwell on the achievements of the founders of the Transcarpathian school – we have to do something new", Yulii says.

The colour scheme and style of the Transcarpathian school of painting are not characteristic of the works of the youngest of the Skakandi. However, his works are different from those of the representatives of the Kyiv school – for years Yulii Skakandi developed his original author’s technique.

"Allegory, symbolism – the artist’s favourite painting techniques. His works have an expressionistic character, testify to his youthful temperament," an art critic Volodymyr Myshanych notes.

He works in a series of 4-5 works. In addition to watercolours and oil paintings, there are also coloured linocuts and etchings. Interesting in the artist’s creativity is a series of coloured engravings that reflect the life of the Ukrainian Hutsuls, as well as coloured etchings from the historical series "Folk Avengers" – here are the figures of Ustym Karmaliuk, Ivan Honta, Severyn Nalyvaiko and others.

Yulii Skakandi was engaged in books design. In particular, in the framework of his diploma work, he created illustrations for the book of the Transcarpathian writer Mykhailo Tomchanii. Later he worked on the illustrations for the collection of poems by Mykhailo Tkach "Turning of the Earth", and others.

Yulii Skakandi is respected not only by his colleagues but also by his disciples – students of the Kyiv State Institute of Decorative Arts and Design named after M. Boichuk. The artist actively works on his own works, embodies his new ideas, carries out scientific work, organizes excursions to museums, art exhibitions for students, and invites famous Ukrainian artists to creative meetings. In addition, he developed methodical recommendations for the training course "Drawing" for the students of the design speciality, art course.

Since 1975, he has actively held exhibitions – a participant in more than 200 national, international and foreign exhibitions. His works were presented in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Austria, Italy. Graphics, paintings and watercolours of Yulii Skakandi were highly appreciated and noted by art historians at the Biennale in Italy. At the same time, the artist does not lose the opportunity to take part in international plein airs.

The works of Yulii Skakandi are kept in museums and private collections of Ukraine and abroad, such as Great Britain, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Romania, etc.

Text: Kseniia Shokina
© Art & Culture Foundation Brovdi Art