Poplars

Oleksandr Postel was a prominent Ukrainian graphic artist and book illustrator.

The artist worked in the fields of easel graphics and painting. Oleksandr Postel’s [paintings and other works have been featured in exhibitions since 1929.

The artist was born in 1904 in Odesa to a tailor's family. In 1917, he entered the evening department of the local Real School. From 1920 to 1929 (with interruptions), he studied at the Odesa Art Institute, where he acquired knowledge and experience from instructors Teofil Frayerman and Volodymyr Zauze.

From 1925 to 1926, he lived in Moscow, collaborating with publishing houses and participating in exhibitions. In 1926, he returned to hometown, where he worked as a staff member at the Odesa Art Museum from 1929 to 1931. Between 1931 and 1941, he worked as a teacher at the local Art School.

During World War II, he was evacuated to Tashkent, where he served as a senior lecturer at the Moscow Architectural Institute (1942–43) and as the acting director and head of studies at the Republican Art School (1944–45). Upon returning to Odesa in 1945, he headed a department at the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art (until 1947) and served as an associate professor at the Civil Engineering Institute (until 1967).

The artwork of Oleksandr Postel has been featured in numerous exhibitions. He participated in art exhibitions starting in 1925, including all-Ukrainian (from 1929), all-Union (from 1939), and international exhibitions (from 1937). Solo exhibitions were held in Odesa (1965, 2021), Chișinău (1965), and Kyiv (1968).

He passed away in 1989.

He worked in easel painting and graphics using linocut, linotype, and watercolor techniques. He is well-known as a master of landscape etching.

Among Oleksandr Postel’s original works are series of etchings featuring views of Odesa (1929–38), "Architectural Monuments of Uzbekistan" (1942–44), "Dnieper Landscapes" (1959), "Landscapes of the Baltic" (1961), "Odesa: Port, Landscapes, Architectural Monuments" (1945–75), and many others.

UFDA digitized Poplars (1981) by the artist from the collection of the Regional Communal Museum of Local History in Borshchiv. This work is now available for viewing on the fund's website.