I remember how in April 1984, at the opening of the rebuilt Hoholiv-Yanovsky country estate and Mykola Hohol monument in the Hoholeve village, Shatsky district in Poltava, there were gathered many highly respected and prominent figures of the Ukrainian and Russian culture. After the estate opening at a gala dinner in the regional Music and Drama Theater named after Hohol, there was raised in several speeches and differently discussed a question of phenomenal Poltava people talent, including many prominent figures in various fields.
There were named, in particular, Hryhorii Skovoroda, philosopher and poet, Mykhaylo Drahomanov, historian and public figure, Mykhaylo Ostrohradskyy, mathematician, such writers as Ivan Kotlyarevskyy, Mykola Hohol, Leonid Glibov, Panas Mirnyy, Olena Pchilka, Mykhaylo Starytskyy, Arkhyp Teslenko, Andrii Holovko, Oles Honchar, Borys Oliynyk, Pavlo Zahrebelnyy, such playwrights as Oleksyy Kolomiyets, Hryhorii Levytskyy and Dmytro Levytskyy, the artists like Volodymyr Borovykovskyy, Apollon Mokrytskyy, Mykola Yaroshenko, Leonyd Pozen, sculptor, such composers as Mykola Lysenko, brothers Heorhii and Platon Mayborody, Isaak Dunayevskyy, Yuryy Kondratyuk, creator of the theory of space flight (O. Sharhey), Mykola Dukhov, military equipment designer and three times Hero of Socialist Labor, and others.
After meeting recently Vasyl Korkishko, an extraordinary artist, already a recognized master of graphics and art, who is originally from Kuntseve village, I was once again convinced that there is the phenomenon of talented people born in this charming land. In each case, apparently, it is caused by one of the factors mentioned then, at the ceremony in Poltava: genetic, natural, historical and geographical, social and economic, or God knows what else, and maybe all together as well.
Vasyl Korkishko is said to be the artist from God, besides he’s got a good special education, first at the Kharkiv Art College and then at the Kharkiv Art and Industry Institute, which he graduated from in 1985. He is a hard worker inherited from his parents - tireless rural workers. Thanks to the hard creative work, high standards and responsibility for created things, the artist has already achieved considerable success in the early years of his post-graduate practices. His paintings were exhibited in several prestigious exhibitions and received a positive assessment of the audience and experts. Already in 1990, he became a member of the Ukrainian Union of Artists, although the membership at the time was approved by the Moscow Union of Artists. In this way, he was classed among the best artists of the country.
Creative work of the artist is multifaceted. It is in various genres. These include thematic paintings where the artist philosophically interprets our history and today – such canvasses as "Where are we ...", "Seventy-three", "Time", "Nostalgia", such graphic works as "Day" and "Night", series of etchings like "Remembrance" dedicated to The Great Patriotic War; some psychological portraits such as "Old age", "Mother", "Sasha", "Portrait of a Woman", we can bring in this line also such cleverly painted things as "Vyshhorodska Virgin" and "Christ" with the face of the saint. Lyrical landscapes are a considerable part of the paintings, transmitting his typical reverence, and poetic sense of the nature state. There are wonderful landscapes like "Twilight", "White Night", "Early Spring", "Sky", "Twilight on the Dnipro River”, "Flood" and charming marina like "Mood", "Hopper", "Shorefront", which perfectly show both violent waves, as well as sea and silence.
The artist creates still-life paintings with great love and mastery, showing different flowers, grass, ears of wheat, berries, grapes, artistic ceramics, hunting attributes and prey. Looking at them, one might have associations and analogs with the best works in this genre of classical art.
Note the peculiarity and skills of the artist, when he uses different tools and art techniques for the task. The artist is capable with pencil, this seemingly simple and perhaps the most important tool; he also uses a complex etching technique and always achieves purity and severity of each stroke. Drawing is the basis, the dominant of all graphics and paintings of the artist. The manner and coloristic scale of his paintings are unique, which is marked by gentle shades and skillful use of light and color.
Vasyl Korkishko believes that art is love. Therefore, he sets up to show only what he likes, what excited his soul, he puts the heat of his heart and hands into every piece. It is suitable for the occasion to quote here Serhii Hryhor'yev, famous Ukrainian artist and a teacher, who said that the masterpiece is born when the artist kisses every centimeter of canvas.
Vasyl Korkishko, Ukrainian drawing artist and painter, now living in Dnipropetrovsk, but originally from the vivifying Poltava land, works exactly in the same way.
Dmytro Yanko,
Honored Man of Art of Ukraine, a member of the Ukrainian Academy of Architecture, fine art expert (specifically for "Zlahoda"), Kyiv.
In pictures: Vasyl Korkishko, artist; “Day”, one of his works in pencil.