Lost treasures
When the streets speak
Website
The Lost Treasures is an interactive website that tells a story of Ukrainian female designers of the 1960s, namely Alla Horska, Halyna Zubchenko, Lyubov Panchenko, Lyudmyla Semykina, and Halyna Sevruk. They created art that did not conform with the Soviet restrictions, not afraid to oppose the totalitarian system.
“This is a story about incredible women who changed the world around them and were not afraid to oppose the totalitarian system.”
One of the featured artists on the website is Alla Horska, a prominent figure in the Ukrainian underground and human rights movement of the 1960s, often referred to as "the Sixtiers."
Horska's artistic creations stood apart from the prevailing style of "socialist realism." Her portfolio encompasses a wide range of art forms, including monumental works, paintings, drawings, mosaics, and prints. Her artistic style draws inspiration from the Kyiv Academic School of Folk Art traditions, Ukrainian Avant-Garde, and Boychukism (an art movement from the 1910s to 1930s associated with the artist Mykhailo Boychuk). This approach ran counter to the ideology of the Soviet regime, which subjected Horska to scrutiny by the KGB.
In November 1970, Alla Horska was tragically found dead. Her friends strongly believed that her murder had been planned and executed by the intelligence agency.
Horska's most renowned works are her mosaics, many of which are located in Eastern Ukraine. These artworks now face the looming threat of destruction. In the spring of 2022, it was confirmed that her masterpiece, "The Tree of Life," had been destroyed during Russian shelling in Mariupol.
Horska's artistic creations stood apart from the prevailing style of "socialist realism." Her portfolio encompasses a wide range of art forms, including monumental works, paintings, drawings, mosaics, and prints. Her artistic style draws inspiration from the Kyiv Academic School of Folk Art traditions, Ukrainian Avant-Garde, and Boychukism (an art movement from the 1910s to 1930s associated with the artist Mykhailo Boychuk). This approach ran counter to the ideology of the Soviet regime, which subjected Horska to scrutiny by the KGB.
In November 1970, Alla Horska was tragically found dead. Her friends strongly believed that her murder had been planned and executed by the intelligence agency.
Horska's most renowned works are her mosaics, many of which are located in Eastern Ukraine. These artworks now face the looming threat of destruction. In the spring of 2022, it was confirmed that her masterpiece, "The Tree of Life," had been destroyed during Russian shelling in Mariupol.
In the spring of 2022, it was confirmed that her masterpiece, "The Tree of Life," had been destroyed during Russian shelling in Mariupol.
Lyubov Panchenko is a legend of Ukrainian national art. She was a fashion designer, crafting clothing sketches, decorative paintings, fabric applications, graphics, and paintings.
Panchenko always supported the Ukrainian language and culture. She painted pysanky (easter eggs), embroidered national costumes for choirs, and raised money to help political prisoners serving sentences for "Anti-Soviet Agitation and Propaganda." She played a crucial role in revitalizing Christmas caroling and the Ukrainian vertep (nativity scene) tradition in Kyiv.
Regardless of the medium, all of Panchenko's works have Ukrainian motifs. She incorporated national ornaments into her drawings and clothing designs. Due to the presence of these national symbols, Panchenko's works were not published in the USSR. She primarily sustained herself through her embroidery work. Today, the artist's pieces can be found in the private collections of her friends and in the Museum of the Sixtiers in Kyiv.
Panchenko resided in Bucha for most of her life. During the Bucha massacre, she endured weeks without food while in her home at age 84. After Russian troops withdrew from the city, she was transported to a hospital in Kyiv, but unfortunately, the doctors could not save her.
Panchenko always supported the Ukrainian language and culture. She painted pysanky (easter eggs), embroidered national costumes for choirs, and raised money to help political prisoners serving sentences for "Anti-Soviet Agitation and Propaganda." She played a crucial role in revitalizing Christmas caroling and the Ukrainian vertep (nativity scene) tradition in Kyiv.
Regardless of the medium, all of Panchenko's works have Ukrainian motifs. She incorporated national ornaments into her drawings and clothing designs. Due to the presence of these national symbols, Panchenko's works were not published in the USSR. She primarily sustained herself through her embroidery work. Today, the artist's pieces can be found in the private collections of her friends and in the Museum of the Sixtiers in Kyiv.
Panchenko resided in Bucha for most of her life. During the Bucha massacre, she endured weeks without food while in her home at age 84. After Russian troops withdrew from the city, she was transported to a hospital in Kyiv, but unfortunately, the doctors could not save her.
