Archive
«Narodoznavchi Zoshyty» 2014 year, issue 4 read »
2013 year, issue 6 read »
2009 year, issue 1-2 read »
«Narodoznavchi Zoshyty» 2014 year, issue 1 read »

« 2025. # 3 (183)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2025. № 3 (183), 546—558

UDK [75/76.071.1.03.04:929](477-87:71)”19/20″(091)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

THE CREATIVE HERITAGE OF HALYNA NOVAKIWSKA: SENSITIVENESS IN IMAGES AND FORMS

YATSIV Roman

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1509-5367
  • PhD, professor at the Artwood department
  • of the Lviv National Academy of Arts,
  • 38, V. Kubiyovycha str., 79011, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: jaciv@ukr.net

Abstract. The article is dedicated to the life and creative legacy of the famous artist, painter and graphic artist, socio-cultural figure of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, Halyna Novakiwska (1923—2018). The ideas of her art were revealed in original compositions of various genres and plastic versions of form — from theatrical scenography, book illustrations to multi-figure scenes, sacred motifs, portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. As one of the leading members of the Ukrainian Union of Fine Artists in Canada, the artist has participated in numerous exhibitions, and her work has been praised by many colleagues and art critics. However, a complete catalog of her works has not yet been compiled, and scholarly interpretations of her paintings and graphics are dominated by qualifications of only certain thematic groups. 

The relevance of the article lies in the fact that for the first time an attempt is made to trace the general dynamics of the development of Halyna Novakiwska’s figurative and formal thinking, the scientific reconstruction of the lesser-known periods of her creative progress, and the designation of psycho-emotional, social, and national-cultural factors that influenced the themes and meanings of her paintings and graphics. 

Based on this, the object of the study is the artist’s creative heritage — paintings, etudes, sketches for paintings, scenographic works for theatrical performances, book covers and illustrative graphics, the subject — the author’s creative methodology, thematic and semantic range, the structure of expressive means, as well as determining the place of her heritage in the general history of Ukrainian fine arts of the second half of the 20th — early 21st centuries. 

The methodological basis of the study is creative-chronological, scientific-reconstructive and structural-typological methods. Formal-analytical and interpretative methods are used to qualify the aesthetic and thematic-semantic features of the artist’s work. 

Keywords: Halyna Novakiwska, fine arts of the Ukrainian diaspora, Krakow Academy of Arts, emigration, Canada, Toronto, neo-expressionism, plastic concept, scenography, painting, graphics, figurative composition, sacred motifs, still life, lyrical theme, existence.

Received 30.05.2025

REFERENCES

  • (1954). Book of artists and figures of Ukrainian culture, participants of the First Meeting of Ukrainian artists of America and Canada with citizenship on July 3—5, 1954. Toronto [in Ukrainian]. 
  • (2006). Ukrainian Union of Fine Artists of Canada Exhibition on the occasion of the 50th anniversary. Album-catalog. Toronto: USOM [in Ukrainian and English].
  • (2016). Ukrainian Union of Fine Artists of Canada. 1956—2016. Anniversary edition. Toronto: USOM.
  • Stelmashchuk, H. (Ed.). (2013). Novakivska Halyna. Painter Ukrainian Artists in the World: Materials for the History of Ukrainian Art of the 20th Century (Pp. 382—383). Lviv: Apriori [in Ukrainian].
  • Stelmashchuk, H., Dzyuba, I.M., Zhukovsky, A.I., & Zheleznyak, M.G. (Eds.). (2021). Novakivska Halyna Oleksandrivna. In: H. Stelmashchuk. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. NAS of Ukraine; National Scientific Research Center. Kyiv: Institute of Encyclopedic Research of NAS of Ukraine. Retrieved from: https://esu.com.ua/article-72255 [in Ukrainian].
  • Stebelsky, B. (1956). Exhibition of Young Artists in Toronto. Phoenix: Young Magazine, 7, 45—47 [in Ukrainian].
  • B., S. [Bogdan Stebelsky]. (1959, June 13). Second Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Ukrainian Society of Music. Literature and Art: Monthly Supplement to the «Homon of Ukraine». Toronto [in Ukrainian].
  • B., S. [Bogdan Stebelsky]. (1961, February 11). First Autumn Exhibition of the Ukrainian Society of Music. Literature and Art: Monthly Supplement to the «Homon of Ukraine». Toronto [in Ukrainian].
  • MZO. (1971). A Bridge to the World of Imagination. Our Life (Part 9, pp. 11—12). Philadelphia [in Ukrainian].
  • Dyachenko-Kochman, O. (1975, 17 Jan.). Exhibition of G. Novakivska in Chicago. Svoboda. Jersey City and New York [in Ukrainian].
  • Welyhorsky-Senkiw, Ch. (1990, 23 Dec.). Art Review: Halyna Novakiwska paintings at Toronto Foundation. Ukrainian Weekly. New Jersey. 
  • Velyhorsky-Senkiw, Ch. (1991). Halyna Novakivska and her exhibition. New days (Pp. 23—25). Toronto [in Ukrainian].
  • Bryzhun-Sokolyk, O. (1989, September 2). Halyna Novakivska in the Ontario Parliament. Our goal. Toronto [in Ukrainian].
  • Darevych, D. (1996). Halyna Novakivska. Ukrainian cooperative calendar for 1997. Toronto [in Ukrainian].
  • Darevych, D. (2004). The infinity of the world’s existence. Fine arts, 2, 11 [in Ukrainian].
  •  Kopach, O. (1983). Silhouette of a contemporary woman (artist Ha lyna Novakivska). Women’s world, 3, 10—11 [in Ukrainian]. 
  • Kopach, O. (1996). From the paths of life (Pp. 70—72). Toronto: Association of Ukrainian Writers «Slovo» [in Ukrainian].
  • Lopata, P. (2003, April 17). Anniversary of Halyna Novakivska. New Path. Toronto [in Ukrainian].
  • Lopata, P. (2018, April 20). Anniversary of the artist Halyna Novakivska. Ukrainian Path. Toronto. Retrieved from: https://newpathway.ca/yuvilej-mystkyni-halyny-novakivskoi/ [in Ukrainian].
  • Rudenko, O. (1995, Oct. 28-Nov. 11). Halyna Novakivska — the long-awaited return. Rynok Plus Square. Lviv [in Ukrainian].
  • Shalyga, O. (2018). Ukrainian Fine Arts in Canada (Second Half of the 20th Century). Bulletin of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. History (Issue 1 (136), pp. 82—86). Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
  • State School of Applied Arts in Krakow. Retrieved from: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatliche_Kunstgewerbeschule_Krakau [in German].
  • Institute of Folk Art. Retrieved from: https://esu.com.ua/search_articles.php?id=71164 [in Ukrainian].
  • Pankivskyi, K. (1965). The Years of the German Occupation (Pp. 335—338). New York; Toronto: Life and Thoughts [in Ukrainian].
  • Darevych, D. (2016). Strokes to the portrait of the Ukrainian Union of Fine Artists in Canada. Ukrainian Union of Fine Artists of Canada. 1956—2016. Anniversary edition (Pp. 7—18). Toronto: USOM [in Ukrainian].
  • (1993). Halyna Novakiwska / Halyna Novakiwska. Exhibition booklet. Toronto.
Our authors
Ulana Movna. Senior Research Fellow, Ph.D. in History. read »
Yaroslav Taras. Head of Department, Professor, Doctor... read »
Kuzmenko Oksana Senior Researcher, Candidate of... read »
Olena Nykorak. Senior Researcher, Doctor of Arts read »
On field exploration of russian and belarusian ethnologists and etnolinguists in Ukrainian Polisia 1945—1980s
In the study based on a wide range of literary materials have been comprehensively characterised field research in Polisia of Ukraine, performed by Russian and Belarusian ethnologists during 1945—1980s as well as Moscow ethnolinguists and other researchers from ethnologic centres of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the course of realization of Ethnolinguistic Atlas of Polisia program. Particular attention has been paid to geography, methods, themes and research results of scientific projects.
Read »

Daily bread baking of ukrainians in the south-western ethnographical region at the late XIX to early XXI cc.
The paper has dealt with analytic study in prescriptions, signs, customs, methods, ways of selection, procurement and some peculiarities in usage of subsidiary means — water, firewood and leaves in bread baking. The final aim of the mentioned actions had been (and still is) selection of the means and ingredients fit, by their characteristics, for the backing of bread. The paper has demonstrated dependence of bread backing subsi­diary means criteria from the folk nutritional standards and world outlook stereotypes as well as from regional social and economic, natural and geographical factors and peculiarities of material culture.
Read »

On bessarabian and moldavian ukrainians in the studies of historical ethnography
The article has thrown some light upon a sum of scientific findings got during XIX to XXI cc. in historio-ethnographic studies of Bessarabia and Moldavian Ukrainians. In the pre­sent paper has been given author’s answer to the problem of lacking progress as for the numerous themes concerning Ukrainians. State and achievements of the research-works in Ukrainians’ material and spiritual culture by the scientists of Moldavia and Ukraine through the years of independence has been exposed.
Read »

Maternity ritualism by volhynians in publications of the second half XIX to the early XXI cc.
In the article have been considered some basic landmarks for fixing and publication of ethnographic materials on the maternity rites of Volhynia with analytical study in ritual elements, their kinds and territories of origin. The article has also raised a problem of gaps in studies of maternity rites of Ukrainian historio-ethnographic Volhynia.
Read »