Development of an Artist
SERHIY BOZHKO
Born on November 19, 2015 in Odesa.
Serhiy made his first steps in the art of painting through man-made stone, smalt. HE started creating his mosaic paintings under the supervision of the distinguished artist of Ukraine Anatoliy Kravchenko. Later he independently made a number of mosaic portraits of Odesa famous people – Leonid Utiosov, collectors Oleksandr Hrushevych and Mykhailo Knobel.
The mosaic period in Serhiy’s work is followed by a new stage – mural painting of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour in Odesa together with his father, Ihor Bozhko. “This work taught me incredible patience and attention. When we were painting on walls with our heads thrown back, standing on shaky scaffolds, while the builders working in the church were running by time and time again, our patience became monastic indeed,” says Serhiy.
The young artist started the third period of his work by easel painting. His paintings of that period cover the themes connected with primitive folk art in light of his own worldview. His childhood memories are reflected in his painting ‘Sledding’, in which a child rolls down the mountain followed by an angel. ‘A Forgotten Rocking-Horse’ is a nocturnal winter scene depicting a wooden children toy abandoned among the dark trees. Pictures ‘A River’ and ‘Winter’ feature a mill, a goat and a pregnant woman, and ‘A Holiday’ shows two old people sitting on a bench by a river. These fine lyrical works were displayed at all-Ukrainian exhibitions in the artist’s early easel period.
Later his figurative art became abstract. Odesa School of the non-figurative art is known for its southern warmth and special good temper. Famous artist like Volodymyr Tsiupko, Serhiy Savchenko, Vleriy Basanets, Vasyl Sad and Oleksandr Stovbur (all of them were friends of Serhiy’s father, Ihor Bozhko, from ‘Mamai’ artistic group) had an impact on the young artist until he managed to find his own motives and techniques in abstract painting. Serhiy Bozhko’s fourth artistic period started from that moment on. He creates paintings saturated with huge passion, freedom and expression. The young artist started painting abstract landscapes on the verge of subtle resemblance with reality. It became an important landmark in Serhiy’s exhibition activities. Many exhibition catalogues with his works were published, and he started receiving invitations to the most prestigious international plain-airs and workshops. It is hardly surprising, for Serhiy’s painting are original and modern. The pictures painted in 2013-2015 have some mystic powers, some, as Cezanne has it, ‘small soul of a painting’ owned by only prominent works of art.
Wooden decorative sculptures (later painted) take a special place in the artist’s work. They are one-of-a-kind. They are either peculiar strange plants or authentic living structures as though frozen in their movement upwards, to the light. Each one is general in form but peculiar in its colour scheme.
Leading research associate
Odesa Literature Museum
Hanna Streminska