I dare say that when the words “Kharkiv artist,” “fame,” and “Paris” are mentioned together, most readers will immediately picture the beautiful Zinaida Yevgenyevna Serebryakova (née Lansere). Indeed, this talented native of the Kursk Governorate, who lived in our beautiful city for only a few years, is known abroad because she settled in France in 1924.
But, as the saying goes, “it wasn’t just Zinaida”—after all, in mid-19th to early 20th century France, other artists from Kharkiv were also known and admired. Take, for example, the fourth World’s Fair, held in Paris in 1867 from April 1 to November 3. At that time, on the Champ de Mars (about 66.8 hectares), representatives from 42 countries showcased all manner of technical achievements in specially constructed pavilions. The exhibits were divided into 10 groups, which, in turn, were subdivided into 95 classes. The number of participants alone totaled about 52,000 people, and according to official figures, the exhibition was visited by approximately 9 million people during its run, including Emperor Alexander II. Prominent French writers, such as Alexandre Dumas (son) and Victor Hugo, authored a guidebook to the exhibition titled *Paris-Guide*.
The Russian Empire, of course, actively participated in this major event, including by exhibiting paintings in the “Arts Section.” A total of 67 paintings by 41 artists were presented. Among the names of such outstanding masters of painting as Aivazovsky, Kolod, Lagrio, and Myasoedov, we find something intriguing in the catalog:
“Trutovsky, Konstantin Alexandrovich. Born in Kharkiv in 1827, he studied at the Academy of Arts. He became a member of the Academy in 1861.
— “Christmas Carols in Little Russia”;
— “Returning from a Village Festival.”
Although the catalog compiler made a mistake in this text—since this Ukrainian artist was actually born in the city of Kursk—Konstantin Alexandrovich Trutovsky had many ties to our city and region. He spent his early childhood in the family estate of Popovka in the Kharkiv Governorate. Moreover, the boy received his early education at one of Kharkiv’s private boarding schools. One of Trutovsky’s favorite subjects was scenes depicting the everyday life of the Ukrainian common people. So, in 1867, crowds of visitors saw a magnificent painting, known to many to this day. Here it is: “Christmas Carols in Little Russia.”
In April 1896, a brief article with the following content appeared in our city’s media:
The Success of the Young Artist V. I. Zarubin.
A native of Kharkiv, the young artist (landscape painter) Viktor Ivanovich Zarubin (son of Professor I. K. Zarubin), who began his artistic education under the guidance of G. G. Schreider, and who has been continuing his studies (for the past three years) in Paris at Professor Jullien’s atelier under the guidance of the renowned French artists Professors Lefeuvre and Robert Fleury, has now been accorded a high honor rarely bestowed upon foreign artists, namely: his painting, titled “Evening,” has been accepted into this year’s Salon des Champs-Élysées in Paris and will be exhibited there. It is extremely difficult to have a painting accepted into this first-class salon, for out of the 6,000 paintings submitted by artists from all over the world, only 2,000 are accepted, with preference given to French artists. The jury consists of 20 renowned French artists.
For a young artist, this was indeed a great success, which was celebrated in his hometown. But few people today remember that behind all this lay his studies at the Physics and Mathematics Department of Kharkiv University, several years of work at the State Chamber as an official on special assignment, and one extremely romantic story. Scholars of Zarubin’s work write the following on this subject:
It is possible that his love for a poor girl was an additional factor in his desire to become a professional artist. Undeterred by hardship, Zarubin fled with his fiancée to Paris, where they were married. His French period was marked by intense work. He attended classes at the renowned private Academy of R. Julien, studied under J. Lefèvre and T.-R. Fleury, and mastered the secrets of drawing and the culture of painting. The young artist’s original works began to attract the attention of connoisseurs. A painting by Zarubin exhibited at the Salon was sold on the very first day. Subsequent sales strengthened the painter’s financial position. He began to travel to Normandy more often, working on numerous sketches.
It is believed that it was his early years in Paris (1893–1896) that laid the foundation for Viktor Ivanovich Zarubin’s high level of professionalism as an artist. Indeed, even many years later, Zarubin continued to paint Normandy, a region he loved so dearly. However, the artist never forgot his native Sloboda Ukraine, devoting considerable space in his work to its beautiful landscapes.
Well, of all the artists from Kharkiv, Mikhail Stepanovich Tkachenko—who was born in our beloved city on November 18, 1860—probably achieved the greatest recognition of his talent and fame in France. The future artist studied at the 2nd Kharkiv Gymnasium, where he received his initial art education under the guidance of the painter D. I. Bezperchy. In 1879, Mikhail Stepanovich enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Arts and eventually became a student of such outstanding masters of painting as Pavel Petrovich Chistyakov, Mikhail Konstantinovich Klodt von Jürgensburg, and Vladimir Donatovich Orlovsky.
Nikolai Mitrofanovich Uvarov, “Portrait of the Artist M. S. Tkachenko.”
During his time at the Academy, the talented artist was awarded numerous medals—both large and small, silver and gold—on many occasions. Tkachenko first arrived in Paris in 1888. You can get a sense of the impression this beautiful city made on the 18-year-old native of Kharkiv from a letter he wrote to his mother:
Paris amazes me at every turn. I think I’ll have to live here for a long time to get used to it. I won’t even begin to describe its beauty. Only the passage of centuries could create such a marvelous city. The salon I visit almost every day has completely swept me off my feet. I now seem to myself like some kind of insignificant little worm. It’s as if my eyes have been opened—they were closed before. I don’t know what will happen next, but I intend to work in a completely different way from now on.
In 1888, while in Paris, Tkachenko decided to continue his studies in painting and enrolled in the private academy of the renowned French artist Fernand Carmon. In 1891 (that is, a year before completing his studies), Mikhail Stepanovich Tkachenko submitted his portrait to the jury of the Paris Salon. The painting was accepted and classified among the first-category works. Naturally, such success at one of France’s most prestigious art exhibitions not only inspired the young Kharkiv artist but also gave him confidence in his abilities. He remained in Paris, where he rented a studio in a picturesque location on Boulevard de Clichy and continued to create, periodically traveling for summer sketching trips to Brittany, Normandy, or the south of France.
The Parisian press wrote extensively about Tkachenko’s paintings, which were displayed at various exhibitions. And as early as 1895, the Slobozhansky painter was awarded France’s highest honor—the Order of the Legion of Honor—for his outstanding achievements. The master’s first solo exhibition (though by no means his last) took place in Paris in 1898 and was covered in detail by virtually all of the city’s leading publications. The artist did not forget his homeland, which he tried to visit whenever possible. When Mikhail Stepanovich’s paintings were awarded prizes at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900, the Kharkiv media proudly reported on July 9, 1900:
M. P. Tkachenko, a native of Kharkiv, was awarded a second-class gold medal at the World’s Fair in Paris for his paintings.
In 1905, Tkachenko received a gold medal for his paintings at an international exhibition in Liège. After regularly exhibiting his works at the Paris Salon since 1891, the artist was granted a special privilege in 1907: in recognition of his mastery, he was allowed to exhibit his works there outside of the competition. So, by 1909, Mykhailo Tkachenko was wealthy, respected, widely written about, and had warm relationships with influential people (the imperial family, presidents, and diplomats). However, despite all this, Mikhail Stepanovich continued to paint the beauties of our region—which delighted the French—and maintained friendships with renowned Ukrainian artists such as Serhii Vasylkovskyi, Mykola Samokish, and Petro Levchenko. The attitude of the French themselves toward the work of our great compatriot is particularly telling. For example, in the introductory article to the catalog of paintings for Mikhail Stepanovich’s solo exhibition in Paris in 1909, René Mezerua wrote the following:
…His heart, filled with love and joy, keeps him in his native Ukraine—with its boundless steppes, low hills, and clear, light sky. He writes with reverence about the nature he loves—the very things that have enchanted him since childhood. And here is all of Ukraine—in full bloom, peaceful, bathed in sunlight: wooden churches, large windmills, and endless plains shimmering with bluish and lilac hues. Here are the low-slung cottages with walls playing with shades of ochre and cinnabar, surrounded—like bouquets—by blooming cherry orchards and fields of sunflowers. Here are leaves rustling in the wind, the majestic bell towers of Lubny and Kharkiv……Remember
this name, resonant and austere—Tkachenko.
This remarkable exhibition by the landscape painter is well worth seeing—more than once.
The great artist died on January 2, 1916, at the age of 55, while on a trip to Svyatogorsk.
The largest collection of his paintings is currently housed at the Kharkiv Art Museum. In 2010, to mark the 150th anniversary of Mykhailo Tkachenko’s birth, the Corners publishing house in Kyiv published a magnificent book totaling 315 pages. The author of this unique and important publication—significant both for Kharkiv and for all of Ukraine—which for the first time presented an unabridged account of Mikhail Stepanovich’s creative journey, as well as previously unknown documents and numerous works by the master, was the renowned art historian Dmytro Golets.
In 2017, at the initiative of the British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, the project “Ukrainian Impressionism and the Revival of the Memory of Artist Mykhailo Tkachenko” was launched, as part of which Professor James Henry Rubin, a leading global expert on Impressionism, gave a lecture on our fellow countryman in conjunction with an exhibition of his paintings.
It is truly heartening that, thanks to projects like this, more and more people are learning about the Kharkiv artists who worked in Paris…
