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New Year's Greeting Card

Leopold Levytskyi

Basic information

ID: ФМз-Г-IV-471
Author: Leopold Levytskyi
Name: New Year's Greeting Card
Date of creation: 1968
Country: the Ukrainian SSR
Technique: colour linocut
Material: paper
Dimensions: 15 x 10.2 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art postcard
Genre: decorative
Provenance: Yaroslava Muzyka Fund

Information about author

Author: Leopold Levytskyi
Artist's lifetime: 1906–1973
Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ukrainian SSR, now Ukraine
Biography: Leopold Levytskyi is a Ukrainian graphic artist and painter. He is also a master of printmaking. The artist had a crucial role in forming modern Ukrainian graphic art. He was born in the village of Burdiakivtsi, Ternopil region. He studied in Paris in 1930–1931, and later at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow (1931–1932). Levytskyi started his creative activity during his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, where he evolved as an artist. The artistic environment of Krakow formed the artist's worldview, system of ideals, and political beliefs, which determined the specifics of the painter's creative thinking. He was the initiator and co-founder of the Krakow Group. In 1932, he organised an exhibition closed due to its social orientation and sharp themes of works. The artist was imprisoned for three weeks and expelled from the Academy. In the 1930s, he was constantly watched by the police. From 1935, he lived in Chortkiv, Ternopil region, sometimes visiting Lviv, Krakow, and Stanyslaviv exhibitions. In September 1939, he headed the City Council in Chortkiv, collaborated with the newspaper "New Life", and worked as a decorator at the House of Officers. During World War II, the artist together with his wife Eugenia Nadliar fled to Uzbekistan. In 1946, he settled in Lviv and joined the newly formed Union of Artists of the USSR; his graphic works created in Uzbekistan served as the grounds for his joining the union. The Lviv environment undoubtedly influenced the artist's creative work. In the 1960s, Levytskyi developed a unique stylistic manner combining spontaneity and technical skills. The artist died working at his desk with a chisel in his hand on May 14, 1973. He was buried in Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv. During his life, Leopold Levytskyi did not have a single personal exhibition. The first occurred in Lviv (1974), a year after the artist's death.

Object description

Greeting cards made using colour or monochrome linocut technique are particularly interesting among Leopold Levytskyi's graphic work of the 1960s and 1970s. These cards were intended to greet friends on New Year's Day and Christmas. The artist often humorously depicted himself and his wife, Yevheniia (Henia), in a stylised form, indoors or against a landscape. On this postcard, the Levytskyi couple stands before a festive table with their hands in a prayer gesture. A stylised palm tree and a star are depicted above them. On the table is a tall candle, glasses, and the main dish – fish. This indicates that the postcard carried a hidden meaning and was primarily intended for the celebration of Christmas.

Inscriptions

On the back, at the top right, are numbers in pencil: "2261/12". The greeting text in blue ink reads: "Warm congratulations to you, Yaroslava Lvivna, and Mr. Doctor, on a happy and joyful New Year! We wish you good health, happiness, and new creative successes. The Levytskyi family".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

New Year's Greeting Card

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