Chrystia Stodilka-Curkowskyj

Of the great Ukrainian-born sculptors of the 20th century Alexander Archipenko (b 1887, Kyiv, d 1964 New York, USA), Leonid Molodozhanin - Leo Mol (b 1915, Volhynia, resident, Winnipeg, Canada) Gregor Kruk (1911 Bratyshiv, d 1988, Munich, Germany) undoubtedly rounds out this triumvirate of genius. Almost exclusively among Ukrainian artists who achieved international reknown, Kruk remained true and loyal to his roots and his native land, Ukraine. On his deathbed, his final wish was to be buried in a free and independent Ukraine, which at the time of his death happened to be one of 15 republics in the Soviet Union.

Kruk was born in 1911 in Halychyna (Galicia) to a poor potters family. From his father, he learned to mould and sculpt clay. His first big break in life came when the local school principal recognized the young lads talent and helped Kruk attend a high school where arts and crafts were taught. After graduating, Kruk studied at the Lviv School of Decorative Art (1934), while apprenticed at a woodworking shop. Occasionally he visited the studio of Serhij Lytvynenko, a well-known sculptor whose work deeply inspired him.

His second break came when he received recommendations to attend the Academy of Art in Krakow (1937). The Academy was founded by the famous 19th century Polish painter Jan Matejko. The schools motto was:Remember your national history and your roots.

Kruk had fond memories of the Academy and its Ukrainian professors: Bohdan Lepkyj, Volodymyr Kubijovyc, I Zilinskyj and stage actor Julian Genyk Berezowskyj. While there, he met young sculptor Mykhajlo Cheresh-niovskyj and art historian Bohdan Stebelskyj, among other Ukrainian students. The professor of sculpture was the famous old artist, Konstantij Laszczka, who noticed Kruks talent.

Though he later moved to Berlin with excellent recommendations from Prof Lepkyj, Kruk felt unwelcome in the German capital. The times were not encouraging for art students preference was given to engineering, medicine and international trade art was of no value to the Nazi regime. However, in 1940, a determined Kruk was accepted to the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts to study under Profs Alfred Focke and Otto Hitzberger, who left him with this statement: First be a man, and then an artist!

During WWII he managed to visit Krakow and discovered that his mentor, Prof Lepkyj, had been arrested with other professors from the Jagielonski University. After the war, Kruk settled in Munich and set up his studio close to the Ukrainian Free University (UFU).

His strong academic background enhanced his deep connection to his Ukrainian roots. He executed commissions for portraits of the rich and famous, as well as figures of peasants, monks, kozaks, bandura players, rabbis, working women and even dancers.

Kruk immortalized in bronze a number of Ukrainian historical figures including Prince Volodymyr the Great, Anna Yaroslavna, Hetman Mazepa, Taras Shevchenko and Patriarch Yosyf Slypyj.

As with many artists, the female form was Kruks favourite subject. Early in his career, he became tired of the classical beauty of Greek and Roman antiquity, giving precedence to voluptuous female nudes that were Rubinesque in stature, yet primitive in form. These nudes are described by some critics as lovely grotesque. These young female figures recall pagan fertility goddesses, who, perpetuate life just as the Earth does every Spring.

Kruks mature nudes are of old figures weathered by childbearing, physical work, pain and suffering. These figures are rather crude, deformed and grotesque. Later in life, Kruks figures indicate that the artist entered Jungs collective unconscious, reviving in his sculptures the Stepovi Baby prehistoric matriarchal stone statues found in the vast Ukraine steppe.

Kruks sculptures of Ukrainian peasants and peasant families are unique masterpieces. Many of his figures personify the history of his nation. Poverty, injustice, exploitation, deep ties with the earth, spirituality and strong family values are all part of his Ukrainian heritage. Through their suffering, Kruk elevates his lowly characters to near sainthood. One of his figures depicts a poor, kneeling peasant who suggests the figure of Christ falling under the weight of the Cross on his way to Crucifixion.

The bronze statue of Family of Refugees is another example of his genius. At first glance, it reminds us of the Holy Familys flight to Egypt. Kruk imbues the poor family with dignity, the familial values of love and responsibility, and most importantly, hope. They seem to personify the Immigrants and Pioneers to Canada, the USA and Brazil and other countries where Ukrainian refugees settled. These figures singularly exemplify the history of the Ukrainian people.

The universal appeal and relevance of Kruks work flows from the artists depth of human understanding

His old woman with child is very personal and powerful. In the aged woman I see the image of my grandmother, who after toiling six years at labour camps in Kazakhstan, was transformed from an elegant and strong woman into Kruks old, hunchbacked, and frightened bundle of sorrow. The old womans strong survival instinct and love protects the child from the harsh Siberian winter. Dyakuju Babuniu [thank you, grandmother], for saving my life.

His preoccupation with pain, suffering and futility suggests that Kruk was an existentialist, a philosophy fashionable in much of western Europe at the time. His self-portrait depicting a man pressed by the weight of a heavy rock recalls Albert Camus Sisyphus. In his futile and excruciating work, Sisyphus gives meaning to the process of struggle.

There is, however, another side to Kruk the man with a healthy sense of humour as revealed in his figure of an Italian Nun or a dancing Old Kozak.

Kruk was creative, hard working and productive. His legacy includes drawings, lithographs, and monumental and miniature bronzes. His works were displayed at solo shows throughout Europe and North America. A permanent exhibit of 160 bronzes by Kruk are on display at the Lechfeldmuseum in Germany and another smaller private collection is found in London, England.

In 1969, the UFU published Gregor Kruk, a two-volume monograph on Kruks sculpture. An album of his drawings was published in 1980. Numerous smaller books, brochures, pamphlets and cards dedicated to the sculptors work have been produced. A great number of critical reviews appeared in various languages.

He was a wonderful and generous host to many visitors, including artists who became inspired by his work. He was famous and respected but never financially successful.

In his old age, Kruk became bitter about his affairs. He gave his most original pieces (160) in trust, to a German museum, in exchange for financial security, which he never enjoyed. Unhappy about the arrangement, Kruk started legal action and died shortly thereafter.

His loyal friends and family had persuaded Kruk to leave his remaining plasters, moulds and bronzes to the UFU. In an essay printed in:Gregor Kruk, the artist wrote: My modest work, carried out so far, and that yet to come with Gods grace, I bequeath to the memory of my beloved parents. I can still see them today in front of the Holy Icon, calloused hands so dignified by the toil of many decades raised in fervent prayer to the heavens, pleading for a brighter future for their children.

Kruks dying wish was that he be buried in his native land when Ukraine becomes independent. Fourteen years after his death, his friends want to realize his wish and move his remains to his beloved Halychyna. Finally, it is time for Ukraine to recognize the artist and his work and to respect his last wish.

The Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation hosts a commemorative exhibit of sculptures, drawings and lithographs by Gregor Kruk from September 7-22, 2002. The opening reception will be held September 7, 7pm. 2118-A Bloor St W, Tel 416-766-6902