Wedding Photo Of Marharyta And Oleksandr Murashko, 1909

Wedding photo of Marharyta and Oleksandr Murashko, 1909

Oleksandr was a prominent Ukrainian painter. He has been called "the most important Ukrainian artist of the turn of the century" and "athe genius of Ukrainian Renaissance". He was one of the adherents of the "Young Muse" movement which was started in 1906 by Modernists who drew on developments in Europe to make Ukrainian art more progressive. He founded the Association of Kyiv Artists in 1916 and the following year co-founded the Ukrainian State Academy of Arts. In 1919 Oleksandr was kidnapped from his home and killed by All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for his pro-Ukrainian views. Notable also the brutality of his death: he was shot in the back of the head. He was only 44 years old. After Oleksandr's death Marharyta, who worked as a teacher, becomes an archivist of her husband's artwork and writes his biography.

Oleksandr in his studio: