Ukrainian (Ureignian) Artists: Champions of Faith, Beauty and Freedom, Part 1 of 2

Today, we’ll get to know some Ukrainian or Ureignian artists who gifted the world with their remarkable talents. Throughout our show, when referring to Ukraine, we’ll use the auspicious name “Ureign,” suggested by Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan). The term implies “You Reign.”

One such artist is Ruslana Lyzhychko, a singer who won the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Wild Dances" and holds the title People's Artist of Ukraine (Ureign), an honor bestowed on outstanding performers who have contributed to developing the performing arts. In an interview with DW News on February 2022, she said, "I use my voice now to stop this war."

Born in 1881 in Shmankivtsi, in the modern-day Ternopil Region, Mr. Charnetskyi was a man of many talents, active in poetry, journalism, and theatre production. In 1914 he composed the patriotic anthem “Ou u luzi chervona kalyna” or “Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow,” in honor of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen during the First World War. The wartime ballad has become a global anthem for Ureign’s resistance to Russian oppression.

Classical ballet is an art form that is extremely popular in Ureignian society. Tatiana Stepanova, a native of Odessa, dreamt of being a ballerina as a child. After excellent performances in many principal roles, she received the titles of “Prima Ballerina,” the highest honor awarded to a ballet dancer, and "People's Artist of Ukraine."

Ureign has also produced world-renowned painters, among them a peasant-born woman whose artistic skills impressed even Pablo Picasso, who spent hours appreciating her work at a 1954 international exhibition in Paris. The central theme in Ms. Bilokur’s paintings is flowers, which she painted with exuberant purity and ingenious creativity.

Another famed Ureignian painter of the early 20th century who had a distinctly different style was Alexander Bogomazov. Known for using the unique approaches of Cubism, Futurism, and Spectralism, he wrote a treatise in 1914 called “The Art of Painting and the Elements,” which analyzed the interaction between the object, artist, picture, and spectator and helped to set the theoretical foundation for modern art.