Fedir Krychevskyi

Fedir Krychevskyi

Fedir Krychevskyi was a Ukrainian artist and educator, one of the founders and the first rector of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts.

He was born in 1879 into a feldsher's (rural medical assistant's) family. Due to limited financial means, the children had to pave their own way in life. Fedir excelled in a four-year school and wished to study painting, a passion supported by Count Vasyl Kapnist. At the count’s estate, Fedir gained exposure to a gallery of Cossack portraits, a collection of paintings and graphics, and a rich library, where he began copying Ukrainian portraits.

In 1896, the young artist enrolled in the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. Later, in 1903, he was admitted to the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he joined the studios of Ilya Repin and Dmytro Kardovsky. However, due to health issues and financial hardship, he had to leave his studies temporarily. He returned home, taught himself painting, and worked extensively outdoors, later resuming his formal education.

From 1913, Krychevskyi worked in Kyiv, teaching at an art school (1913–1917) and, starting in 1914, serving as its director. In 1917, he took part in establishing the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and was chosen as its first rector, dedicating all his energy and organizational skills to fostering the Academy’s development. He later taught at the Kyiv Art Institute.

In June 1939, Krychevskyi and his brother Vasyl were both awarded the degree of Doctor of Art Studies. In 1940, they also received the title of Honored Art Workers of the Ukrainian SSR, making them the first in Ukraine to hold these distinctions.

Krychevskyi did not create works on Soviet themes. Most of his works are preserved in the National Art Museum of Ukraine.

Artwork Details

    • Location
    • Sumy, Ukraine
    • Dimensions
    • 49cm x 28.6cm
    • Years
    • 1913
    • Framing
    • No framed

Description

This painting belongs to the collection of the Nykanor Onatskyi Regional Art Museum in Sumy.

The painting "Three Ages" portrays a female image shaped through the perception of age-related changes. The models for this work were women from the family of the renowned Ukrainian playwright Mykhailo Starytsky. Through their images, the artist conveyed the passage of time, symbolically representing the changing seasons. This piece was created when Fedir Krychevskyi was already an acclaimed painter and master of psychological portraiture, merging both national and European classical traditions in his art.

Compositionally, the artist structures the profiles in a style reminiscent of ancient cameos. He emphasizes the natural beauty of the women with bright scarves. At the center is the mature, radiant beauty of Lidiya Starytska, who modeled for many of Krychevskyi's paintings. The elderly grandmother, set against the background of the golden hues of autumn leaves, symbolizes wisdom, representing a reflective conclusion of life’s journey. Meanwhile, the young Hanna Starytska is depicted as a blossom amid fresh greenery, appearing as if at the very onset of spring.

*This information is taken from the website of the museum.

Three Ages

1913, Painting, Oil, Board , Realism

Digitized using

in ultra-high resolution Digital Original artwork from original painting, authenticity and quality was verified by the gallery curators & artist.

  • Resolution:
    400 MPX (23296 x 17472 px)
  • Color depth:

    16 bit 281 Trillion Colors

  • Original file size:

    1350 MB DNG File

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