The Sower page 13, October 27, 2019

EXPLORING OUR MUSEUM AND LIBRARY Gleaning History from A Song By Lubow Wolynetz, Curator

In the last issue of The Sower, I wrote cator, historian, and active in cultural and bequeathed all of his assets to the Hrinchenko tried to defend her, and said about some of the song postcards which political revival; and Ivan Kamanin, 1850- Epiphany Brotherhood School in Kyiv, to that in the panegyric written on had been created by the noted artist 1921, historian, archivist, and paleograph- the Lviv Brotherhood, and to other cul- Sahaidachnyi’s death, it tells how his wife Amvrosii Zhdakha. In this month’s issue, er, whose specialty was the 16th and 17th tural institutions. He left nothing for his cried and fainted. Kamanin responded, I will concentrate on just one of his post- century history of Ukraine. He worked wife. Metropolitan of Kyiv, 1620-1631– Iov stating that she did not cry and faint for cards, not previously mentioned, not so and directed the Kyiv Central Archive of Boretskyi, was named the executor of the long, because within a year she had mar- much for its artistic value, as for the very Old Documents. will. The fact that Sahaidachnyi left his ried another nobleman. From these few popular historical song it illustrates, The hero of the song, Hetman Petro wife out of his will had intrigued histori- facts, we can surmise that Sahaidachny’s whose text has intrigued scholars and has Konashevych-Sahaidachnyi, ca. 1570-1622, ans. Kamanin claims, based on archival married life was not harmonious. The led them to do research on it. was a political, cultural activist, and a bril- documents, and various court cases which words of the song jovially and lightheart- The song in question is Up on the hills liant military leader both on land and sea. he had privy to, that Sahaidachnyi’s wife edly hint at the state of events between the harvesters are harvesting, down below, the He graduated from the Ostroh Academy, was a rash, quarrelsome, and impetuous Sahaidachnyi and his wife. Cossacks are marching (Oi, na hori ta zhentsi one of the first institutions of higher woman who often sued her neighbors, The next time you sing this afore- zhnut, a po-pid horoyu. Dolom dolunoyu koza- learning in Ukraine. On becoming and even organized raids on the neighbor- mentioned song, think of the fascinating ky idut). In the following stanzas we learn Hetman of the Cossacks, he managed to ing estates, for which she was tried in history behind it!! that leading the Cossack battalion is a organize them into a regular and militari- courts. Doroshenko. (There were a few genera- ly strong formation. During the Battle of tions of Doroshenko Cossack leaders, Khotyn in 1621 against the Turks, he with including a hetman.) Following the his 80,000 Cossack and some Polish Cossack army is Sahaidachnyi. (Hetman troops, fought against the 160,000 Petro Konashevych Sahaidachnyi, ca. Turkish army, and won, thanks to his mil- 1570-1622, who, according to the words of itary strategy and courage. But he was the song traded his wife for tobacco and a seriously wounded and soon died in Kyiv pipe. The song goes on saying “come from his wounds. Sahaidachnyi, take your wife back”, but he The gentry, nobility, and the Cossack answers “for a Cossack, a wife is in the way elite in the 17th and 18th centuries were (assuming when he is preparing for warfare), generous patrons of their churches, but tobacco and a pipe will always come in church brotherhoods, schools, institu- handy on the road”. This humorous and tions of higher learning, etc. They donat- albeit satirical song about Sahaidachnyi ed huge sums of money and land for this carries within it an interesting element of purpose. In 1620, while Hetman of the information, hinting about the hetman’s Cossacks, Sahaidachnyi, by donating personal life, which might explain these large sums of money, registered Sahaidachnyi’s actions at the end of his himself and the entire Cossack army into life and the bequest he left behind. the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood School. Historians, archivists, ethnographers, This school was founded in1615 and later and linguists, for a number of years, have merged with the Kyiv Pecherska Lavra been carrying on a lively polemical discus- School into one, and became the Kyiv sion, as to what this song means and why Mohyla Academy. Sahaidachnyi’s deed this metaphorical depiction of meant that the sons of even low-ranking Sahaidachnyi’s behavior. Just as historical Cossacks had the right to go to this data can be obtained from serious, and school. This fact is aptly illustrated in well-grounded archival material; so too Mykola Hohol’s novel Taras Bulba. The ephemeral material, namely this song or a Academy underwent many changes and legend, a tale, can supply additional mate- even destruction, especially during the rial but presented enigmatically, puzzling, Soviet days. When Ukraine gained its and therefore needs scholars to decipher independence in 1991, the Academy was its significance and the roots of its source. officially reopened as the National The two scholars who were at odds University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and with each other about this song were still is one of the finest institutions of Borys Hrinchenko, 1863-1910, prose higher learning in today’s Ukraine. writer, lexicographer, ethnographer, edu- In his testament, Sahaidachnyi Woodcut, XVII c.

Landscape Painting By Lubow Wolynetz, Curator

Landscape painting is Kostandi, Ivan Trush, Serhii of 20th century Ukrainian artists unquestionably one of the most Svitoslavsky, Petro Levchenko, from the fine arts collection of popular genres among Ukrainian and others. In the continuous the Ukrainian Museum and artists. In the range of possibili- development of Ukrainian land- Library of Stamford. Among the ties of emotional expression this scape painting, we can find presented are unsurpassed land- genre has no equals, and examples of the newest scape artists: Ivan Trush, Oleksa Ukrainian nature dazzles with its European trends of styles and Novakivsky, Alexis Gritchenko, diversity and inspires with its modes, and the daring explo- Mykhailo Moroz, Lev Gets, Ivan beauty. The picturesque hillsides rations and innovations of artis- Marchuk, and many others, even of the Carpathians, boundless tic expressions. though diverse in their artistic steppe expanses, quiet grandeur For Ukrainian artists, land- style, esthetic outlook, manner of the rivers, picturesque cozi- scape painting became especially of work, and geographic resi- ness of the villages, admirable very meaningful! During the last dence. A whole epoch, a wide elegance of the city – all of this two hundred years, this genre range of artistic explorations and amazes and inspires to creativity. was used for expressing love for images will be discovered by the No wonder then, that Ukraine in one’s country, admiration for the visitor at this gallery exhibition. the 19th century was called The beauty of its nature, and the pos- Pictorial and graphic land- New Italy, and artists traveled to sibility of transmitting the lyrical scapes stimulate us to ponder, to Ukraine in search of romantic essence of the Ukrainian soul. observe, to think, to take notice landscapes and inspiration. Moreover, during the Soviet era, of the surrounding beauty of the The Ukrainian National when freedom of artistic expres- world. In the age of powerful Landscape Painting School was sion was not only frowned upon technological development and founded in the mid19th century but even penalized, Ukrainian unrestrained flow of informa- and by the early 20th century it artists turned to painting land- tion, landscape art acquires a could proudly boast of a brilliant scapes to hide in this neutral new merit and significance, group of landscape painters, genre from the grim and severe reminding man about his ancient namely Volodymyr Orlovsky, demands of socialist realism. desire to live in harmony with Serhii Vasylkivsky, Kyriak This exhibit presents works nature.!

For more information about The Ukrainian Museum and Library of Stamford, please, visit www.ukrainianmuseumlibrary.org, call 203-324-0499 or 203-323-8866. The Museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by appointment, and is located at: 161 Glenbrook Road, Stamford, CT 06902.