Jacques Hnizdovsky
Encyclopedia
Jacques Hnizdovsky (1915–1985) was a Ukrainian-American painter, printmaker, sculptor, ex libris designer, book illustrator, and art historian.
in the Borshchivskyi Raion of Ternopil Oblast
to direct descendants of a noble family bearing the Korab coat of arms. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
and Zagreb, and produced hundreds of paintings, as well as over 300 prints (woodcuts, etchings and linocuts) after his move to the United States in 1949. He was inspired by woodblock printing in Japan
as well as the woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer
. These influences on his early works can be seen on his website. Most of his woodcuts, (apart from exhibition posters, which he also printed himself directly from the woodblock) were printed on washi
, which in English is erroneously translated into "rice paper"
Hnizdovsky's woodcuts frequently depict plants and animals, and the primary reason for this, in the beginning, after his arrival in the United States, was the lack of funds to pay for a human model. But what was first a substitute for the human form later became his primary subject matter. He was well known in all the botanical gardens in New York, where he would find subjects willing to pose for no cost. At the Bronx Zoo
, he also found many models that were willing to pose, as he would write, "for peanuts". Andy, the orangutan that opened the Ape House of the Bronx Zoo when he was just a baby, was one of Hnizdovsky's favorite models. When he died, the Bronx Zoo immediately purchased the woodcut in remembrance of Andy. Another favorite model for one of Hnizdovsky's best known prints, was also from the Bronx Zoo. The Sheep went on to be the print Hnizdovsky was best known for, and it illustrated the poster for his very successful exhibition at the Lumley Cazalet Gallery in London. This poster, incidentally, can be seen in the kitchen scene of the film The Hours
.
The artist also designed several stamps
and a souvenir sheet for the Ukrainian Plast
postal service, issued in 1954 and 1961.
Hnizdovsky has exhibited widely and his works are in the permanent collections of many museums worldwide. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a large collection of his prints.
An interview with Hnizdovsky, in Ukrainian, was conducted in 1982 was conducted by Ulana Pawuszczak
Interview with Yakiv (Jacques) Hnizdovsky (Яків Гніздовський).
Jacques Hnizdovsky died in 1985 and is buried at the Lychakivskiy Cemetery
in Lviv
, Ukraine
. His archives are housed at the Slavic and Baltic Division of the New York Public Library
.
Biography
Jacques Hnizdovsky was born in UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in the Borshchivskyi Raion of Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:...
to direct descendants of a noble family bearing the Korab coat of arms. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw is a public university of visual and applied arts located in the Polish capital. The Academy traces its history back to the Department of Arts founded at the Warsaw University in 1812. As a separate institution it was founded in 1844 during the Partitions of Poland...
and Zagreb, and produced hundreds of paintings, as well as over 300 prints (woodcuts, etchings and linocuts) after his move to the United States in 1949. He was inspired by woodblock printing in Japan
Woodblock printing in Japan
Woodblock printing in Japan is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre; however, it was also used very widely for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was only...
as well as the woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
. These influences on his early works can be seen on his website. Most of his woodcuts, (apart from exhibition posters, which he also printed himself directly from the woodblock) were printed on washi
Washi
is a type of paper made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub , or the paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat...
, which in English is erroneously translated into "rice paper"
Hnizdovsky's woodcuts frequently depict plants and animals, and the primary reason for this, in the beginning, after his arrival in the United States, was the lack of funds to pay for a human model. But what was first a substitute for the human form later became his primary subject matter. He was well known in all the botanical gardens in New York, where he would find subjects willing to pose for no cost. At the Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows....
, he also found many models that were willing to pose, as he would write, "for peanuts". Andy, the orangutan that opened the Ape House of the Bronx Zoo when he was just a baby, was one of Hnizdovsky's favorite models. When he died, the Bronx Zoo immediately purchased the woodcut in remembrance of Andy. Another favorite model for one of Hnizdovsky's best known prints, was also from the Bronx Zoo. The Sheep went on to be the print Hnizdovsky was best known for, and it illustrated the poster for his very successful exhibition at the Lumley Cazalet Gallery in London. This poster, incidentally, can be seen in the kitchen scene of the film The Hours
The Hours (film)
The Hours is a 2002 drama film directed by Stephen Daldry, and starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Ed Harris. The screenplay by David Hare is based on the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Michael Cunningham....
.
The artist also designed several stamps
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
and a souvenir sheet for the Ukrainian Plast
Plast
The Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine commonly called Ukrainian Plast or simply Plast is the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.-First Phase: 1911-1920:...
postal service, issued in 1954 and 1961.
Hnizdovsky has exhibited widely and his works are in the permanent collections of many museums worldwide. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a large collection of his prints.
An interview with Hnizdovsky, in Ukrainian, was conducted in 1982 was conducted by Ulana Pawuszczak
Interview with Yakiv (Jacques) Hnizdovsky (Яків Гніздовський).
Jacques Hnizdovsky died in 1985 and is buried at the Lychakivskiy Cemetery
Lychakivskiy Cemetery
-History:Since its creation in 1787 as Łyczakowski Cemetery, it has been the main necropolis of the city's inteligentsia, middle and upper classes. Initially the cemetery was located on several hills in the borough of Lychakiv, following the imperial Austro-Hungarian edict ordering that all...
in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. His archives are housed at the Slavic and Baltic Division of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
.
Books illustrating the work of Jacques Hnizdovsky
- Tahir, Abe M. Jr (1987). Jacques Hnizdovsky Woodcuts and Etchings. Pelican Publishing Co. ISBN 0882894870.
- Shows all prints created during the artist's lifetime, a catalogue raisonnéCatalogue raisonnéThe typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks by an artist.The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably...
, profusely illustrated with images.- Tahir, Abe M. Jr (1975). Hnizdovsky Woodcuts 1944-1975, a catalogue raissonné. Pelican Publishing Co.. ISBN 0882891499, ISBN 0882890727, ISBN 0882891502.
- Shows prints created between 1944-1975, a catalogue raisonnéCatalogue raisonnéThe typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks by an artist.The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably...
, profusely illustrated with images.- Hnizdovsky, Jacques (1986). Jacques Hnizdovsky Ex Libris. S. Hnizdovsky. ASIN B0007BYZ94
- Shows 54 Ex Libris designs that the artist created for friends, family, museums and libraries.
Publications
This is a partial list of books illustrated by Jacques Hnizdovsky.- The Poems of John Keats, 1964
- The Poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1967
- Tree Trails of Central Park, 1971
- Flora Exotica, 1972
- The Poems of Thomas Hardy, 1979
- The Traveler’s Tree, 1980
- The Poetry of Robert Frost, 1981
- Signum Et Verbum, 1981
- A Green Place, 1982
- Birds and Beasts, 1990
- Behind the King’s Kitchen, 1992
- The Girl in Glass, 2002
- The Adventurous Gardener, 2005
Further reading
- Leshko, Jaroslaw (1995). Jacques Hnizdovsky Яків Гніздовський.
- Published by The Ukrainian Museum on the occasion of the exhibition Jacques Hnizdovsky 1915-1985: Retrospective Exhibition, organized by The Ukrainian MuseumThe Ukrainian MuseumThe Ukrainian Museum, founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America , is located at 222 East 6th Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, an claims to be the largest American museum dedicated to the cultural...
, New York. Profusely illustrated bilingual exhibition catalogue containing 23 pages of biographical text, showing examples of paintings, woodcuts, linocuts, etchings and ceramics by the artist.