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This blog post was written by Jen Wagar, Upper School Science and Math Teacher
Pictured here is Maria Prymachenko working on a painting.
Maria Prymachenko (1909-1997) was a Ukrainian folk art painter, who worked in the naïve art style. A self-taught artist, she worked in painting, embroidery, and ceramics. In 1966, Prymachenko was awarded the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine. Her paintings included references to the natural world and fairy tales using bright, bold colors, and a larger-than-life scale. Ms. Prymachenko’s work brought joy, happiness, and hope to the people of Ukraine.
On Sunday, February 27, 2022, the Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum in the town of Ivankiv, north of Kyiv which housed a collection of her work was burned by Russian troops who invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Pictured above is a Maria Prymachenko painting.
Recently, Director of Upper School Ms. Seelaus brought this to our attention because the people of her town ran into the burning building and saved at least 10 of her paintings. Grade 5 students were feeling sad about the bombing in Ukraine and so they decided to add more happiness and hope to the world by creating their own “folk art.” Since this was math class, we also took this as an opportunity to practice our symmetry, fraction, and ratio skills. We hope that you will enjoy them.
Far Hills Country Day School Grade 5 student work
