Madly in love with the Carpathians

October 5 marked Serhii Onyshchenko’s 90th anniversary. The artist was born in Horokhiv. Already as a child he showed a talent for painting, which is no surprise, as his father was a renowned Volhynian church painter, who even worked with monk-painters from the Pochaiv Monastery. That is what pushed Serhii to paint. Incidentally, he was among the first graduates (1953) of the Lviv Institute of Arts (currently the Lviv Academy of Arts), and after graduation he worked at the Ivano-Frankivsk Artistic Foundation.

Onyshchenko has worked in various genres, but art experts contend that he is best in revealing what is called “a breathe of nature” on canvas: his landscapes feature the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains, glades, valleys, and mountain rivers with their waterfalls and rapids.

“I have created nearly a thousand paintings. I have painted the Carpathians backwards and forwards: the rocks, waterfalls, and firs. But I particularly like willows,” Onyshchenko said. His creed is “Living nature is the best and most sacred music on earth.”

As a true representative of the Lviv painting school, the artist is a wonderful colorist. His works are known beyond Ukraine: many of Onyshchenko’s paintings have been purchased by Polish, Canadian, and Kazakh museums. Painting buffs are frequent guests at the artist’s residence.

“Certainly, I can sell everything, because there are people eager to buy all of my works. But what will I do with the money?” Onyshchenko laughs.

Incidentally, the artist continues to paint at the age of 90. He also takes interest in contemporary painting, and reads without glasses.