НОВЕ ПРО МАЛОВІДОМІ ТА ВТРАЧЕНІ ТВОРИ ОЛЕКСАНДРА МУРАШКА: АТРИБУЦІЯ ПОРТРЕТІВ ДРУЖИНИ НІМЕЦЬКОГО КОНСУЛА ЕРІХА ГЕРІНГА, ХУДОЖНИКА А. БАБЕНКА, ТЕТЯНИ ЯШВІЛЬ, ЛІДІЇ МУРАШКО, КАРТИНИ «ВЕЧІР»

Abstract

The author attempts to attribute the lesser-known artistic works by Oleksandr Murashko (1875–1919). Some of them were considered lost, e.g. the images of Tetiana Jashvil or Lidia Murashko. Others, including a portrait of the German consul Erich Hering’s wife, as well as a portrait of the artist A. Babenko (Murashko’s pupil) and the painting "Evening", can still appear in the field of view of researchers. The author describes primary sources that allowed her to carry out the attribution, and details that suggested the correct way for the scientific search. A number of iconic paintings by Oleksandr Murashko are known only from some black-and-white or colour reproductions. First and foremost, we are talking about such works of the artist as "Merry-go-round", "Sunday" (1909), "On terrace", "Over the old pond", which trails were lost in the early 20th century. The author already touched upon the question of these paintings’ fate (except for "Merry-go-round"). Nevertheless for a deeper understanding of the artist's work, it is necessary to explore the lesser-known, even lost pieces. The primary source for studying the heritage of the artist are listings of his works, that were compiled around 1919 by Marharyta Murashko. Despite the fact that they contain many inaccuracies and errors, the value of these listings cannot be overemphasized. Inter alia, there are works, which locations are unknown by far. But the idea of some of them can be formed from photos from the documentary and archival trust of the National Art Museum of Ukraine. Some researchers have managed to establish the names of many persons portrayed by Murashko, but there is a need to make further researches in this field. The attribution of each painting proves that even a limited amount of sources can give us an idea of the appearance of lost works, regardless the fact that not all of them were reproduced on the pages of printed publications or as photographs. At the same time, the assessment of various sources allows us to attribute the little-known portraits, because the names of many depicted persons remain unknown. But with each passing year it becomes more complex to set them.