ФОРМУВАННЯ ПЕРСОНАЛЬНОЇ КОЛЕКЦІЇ ІВАНА БІЛИКА У НАЦІОНАЛЬНОМУ МУЗЕЇ ГОНЧАРСТВА

Abstract

The outstanding Opishnia potter Ivan Bilyk devoted his whole life to the production of pottery. His work has been awarded numerous prizes, diplomas, certificates, medals. He is one of the three potters from Opishnia whose work was awarded the Taras Shevchenko State Prize of Ukraine in 1999. Ivan Bilyk was born in the family of a shoemaker, although his grandfather was a potter. The boy went through a long way of learning the pottery craft – in other potters, in educational institutions, at the enterprise. The master’s personal life also seemed difficult (illnesses, injuries during the Second World War, which caused disability). For many years, Ivan Bilyk worked at the «Art Ceramics» plant as a creative master of the artistic and experimental creative laboratory. He produced everything that local`s potters created – various tableware, zoomorphic sculpture, plates, vases for the floor, children’s toys, etc. The image of a lion became a favorite image in Ivan Bilyk’s creative works. The master repeatedly claimed that he was the author of the zoomorphic sculpture «Lion». It was this image that brought the potter world recognition at the international biennial in Faenza (Italy). In Ivan Bilyk’s personal collection of ceramics in the National Museum of Pottery, lion sculptures make up a third of all available zoomorphic sculptures in the collection. Today, most of Ivan Bilyk’s products are concentrated in the National Museum-Reserve of Ukrainian Pottery in Opishnia. This collection has about 300 storage units. The personal collection illustrates all the creative diversity of the potter. In the article, against the background of Ivan Bilyk’s biographical facts, the main events that influenced the formation of his personal collection in the National Museum of Pottery are determined. The time frames for the production of the existing products are outlined. Separate form-forming and decorative changes in the potter’s works have been traced.