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Taras Shevchenko

Encyclopedia of the life and works

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Gaidamak Galayda

Taras Shevchenko. Gaidamak Galayda

Taras Shevchenko. Gaidamak Galayda. After the poem "Gajdamaks".
[1840 – 1841. St. Petersburg]. Printed after a copy.
Paper, pencil. 19,1 × 13,6 cm.
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g – 907.

At the top ink inscription: Figure Shevchenko. Below: Property O. Tysha– Tish[ynsky]. On the back placed a pencil inscription: For a very good singing of our famous songs in memory from Alexei Senchyllo–Stefanovsky. 1856 d. March 29.

Figure match the poem "Haydamaky".

Designed with not typical for Shevchenko circuit, the picture is obviously a copy of the Shevchenko volume-modelled original, perhaps, when writing the poem "Gajdamaks", tentatively in 1840 – 1841.

The composition of the picture, particularly its left part, depicts wavy landscape of the Dnieper river with the wind bent willows and two sailing boats on the waves, is a reminiscence piece of work "Catholic monk" (1839). By the way the imaging of individual parts is similar to the picture "Powwow" (1841).

Most likely, it was a copy that was seen in 1850 by M.M. Belozersky in P.A. Kulish's library. M.M. Belozersky noted about it in his memoirs: "In that time, Kulish had a small picture copy of Shevchenko – Gaidamak Galayda over Dnipro" [Belozersky N. Taras Shevchenko after memoirs of different persons // Kievan antiquity. – 1882. – № 10. – p. 77; Memories on Taras Shevchenko. – K., 1982. – p. 168].

These memories was the first mention in the literature about the picture as a copy of a Shevchenko's work.

A copy, probably made by Kulish after the Shevchenko's original. Alexandra Kulish wrote about it in a letter to Elias Schrag on September 16, 1899:

"When Shevchenko was sitting in the third unit in proson, he drawed Haidamaks and forwarded to my husband, and then sending to ([Sergei. – Ed.]) Wolf figures of de Balmen to illustrate "Orysja" (story of my husband), also sent it, but Wolf Haidamaks not returned, although my husband many times wrote to him" [Yatsyuk V. Periwinkle studies / Anna Barvinok: Collection of 170 anniversary of her birth. – K., 2001. – p. 480].

But for the time and circumstances of the picture creation in 1847 "in prison" there is a big question. P.A.Kulish's story "Orysja", written in 1844, first published in 1857 in "Notes on Southern Rus" [Kulish P. Orysja // Notes on Southern Rus. – SPb., 1857. – Vol. 2. – p. 107 – 108] without illustrations. So pictures would remain in M.O. Wolf (1826 – 1883). However, his son A.M. Wolf in a letter to Kulish of 26 October 1894 to request to return the Shevchenko's works said that among the images that there were no Shevchenko's works in his property: "all the pictures, which affected the Little Russia, returned to the proper" [T.H. Shevchenko in the manuscripts epistolary heritage of the Central Scientific Library USSR. – K., 1966. – p. 162 – 163].

Thus, the location of Shevchenko's original "Gajdamaka Galayda" is not defined.

Another copy–reminiscence made by Kulish was in the form of vignettes in his letter of March 22, 1854 from the village Motronivka to S.T. and K.S. Aksakov. It was copied after the original or a copy (which has probably remained in him) contour of haidamak's figure, Kulish has made changes in facial expression and details. Instead of gun in haidamaks shoulder – spit, in his hand instead of "holy knife" – bowler. In the background – signs of life by a farmer – Ukrainian idyllic scenery overlooking the village, church, a windmill. Letter with vignettes is stored in the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (Moscow) [Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (Moscow), fund 10, op. 1, ff. 561; reproduction in: Anna Barvinok: Collection of 170–th birthday. – p. 520].

A copy of the original image "Gaidamak Galayda" was reproduced and first described in 1932 by A.P. Novitsky as Shevchenko original named "Illustration to Haidamaks" and dated 1841 [T. Shevchenko Complete Works. – [Kharkiv, 1932. – T. 8]. – p. 36 – 37. – № 271. – Tab. 136]

In PZT (Vol. 10) this copy was placed in the section "groundless prescribed works" accounts for "almost identical Kulish's drawing" in a letter to Aksakov that here was the first time and referred to [T. Shevchenko Complete Works: At 10 volumes. – K., 1963. – T. 10. – p. 88 – 89. – № 286].

Most likely, a copy of the Shevchenko's original Kulish gifted to a good friend Alexei Fedorovich Senchyllo–Stefanovsky [Sudak V. Around the identification of Shevchenko's paintings // Taras Shevchenko and folk culture: Proceedings of the international (35 th) Shevchenko scientific conference. – Cherkassy, 2004. – No. 1. – p. 233 – 234].

Storage areas: property of A.F. Senchyllo–Stefanovsky; since 1856 – O.H.Tysha–Tyshynsky; from 1926 – Ukrainian History Museum (Kyiv); later – State Museum of T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).

Exhibitions:

1990. Kyiv. 150 years of printing and illustrating the words of Taras Shevchenko (without directory);

1992. Kyiv. Up to 150 anniversary of the poem "Gajdamaks" (without directory);

1994. Kyiv. Before the 175 anniversary of P. Kulish (without directory);

1997. Kyiv. 100 th death Kulish (without directory) 1999.

Kyiv. Exhibition in memory of Basil Tarnowskі. Register cossack and his treasury [Catalogue of memory of the great Ukrainian collector Vasyl Tarnowskі. – K., 1999. – p. 19].

V.O. Sudak

After publication: T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 109 – 110 (image), p. 393 – 395 (notes).