NATALIA’S VERHUN PAINTING AND DRAWINGS IN UKRAINIAN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the works of Kharkiv artist Natalia Ivanivna Verhun (born in 1938), whose canvases remain the object of attention of the art history community throughout the entire creative path of the artist. Given the realization of the contribution of the paintress to the formation of the art fund of Ukraine, the peculiar pictorial style and the national orientation of her work, the relevance of studying the formation of the collection of the artist’s works in museum collections becomes clear. The study clarified the number of works in collections, identified ways of forming collections. Natalia Verhun’s works of art have been exhibited at many recognizing the artist’s contribution to shaping Ukraine’s artistic heritage and have also been acquired for private collections. Currently the numerous collections of her works are now represented in the Kharkiv Art Museum, the National Art Museum, individual works were housed in the Krasnograd Local History Museum named after Martynovich, in the Kremenets Museum of Local Lore, in the Chernihiv Regional Art Museum named after Galagan and others. The study of museum documentation revealed patterns in the technological, genre and thematic orientation of the artist’s heritage. This makes it possible to better understand the evolution of her creative style, to identify the main themes and genres that determined the directions of her creative activity. This research opens up new perspectives for a deeper understanding of Natalie Verhun’s contribution to the cultural context of Ukraine and contributes to the expansion of ideas about the general development of Ukrainian art in the second half of the 20th – early 21st century.