“Red icons”

LVIV – The exhibit is presented by the icons from the private collection of Ivan Hrechko from Lviv. Collecting icons has been his hobby for more than half a century. Art expert Nazar KO­ZAK says the folk masters in highland regions of Central and Eastern Euro­pe started painting icons on glass in the second half of the 18th century. In the 19th century this art flourished in Bohemia, Silesia, Moravia, Slovakia, Romania, and in our country, first of all in Halychyna and Hutsul region.

“The icons that were painted with oil on glass presented the most vivid accent in almost every Hutsul house,” adds art expert Viktor MELNYK. “They were bought to mark important family events, the lives of people passed before them, from birth to death. Placed tightly on the shelves against the doors, they were a kind of iconostasis that included images of the most respected saints in Hutsul region, like St. Ni­cholas, George the Dragonfighter, the Holy Virgin, the Alma Mater, or the Great Martyr Barbara. Saturated non-mixed colors of white, black, red, blue, and yellow, enhanced by the transparency of the glass and shiny gilding, created a special festive mood. Maybe because of the domination of the bright reds they were called “red icons.”

Ivan Hrechko says that every icon had its own way of getting into his collection. “Some people gladly gave them to me, while I had to ask for the others for years.” The collection holder empasizes that Ukraine can surprise the world by icon collections like this one and complains that nobody wanted to create a proper museum for them in Ukraine.

The exhibit “Red icons” will be held at the IconArt gallery till February 15. It can be found in 26 Virmenska Street, Lviv. It is open every day except for Mondays.