Pryimachenko, Mariia

Pryimachenko, Mariia [Приймаченко, Марія; Pryjmačenko, Marija], b 30 December 1908 in Bolotnia, Radomyshl county, Kyiv gubernia, d 18 August 1997 in Bolotnia, Ivankiv raion, Kyiv oblast. Famous folk naive painter. She has lived in Bolotnia (now in the Chornobyl nuclear disaster zone) throughout her life and has done over 500 primitive paintings, murals, illustrations to verses and children's stories, and ceramic decorations. Distinguished by their vivid colors, they include the painting series ‘Bolotnia's Animals’ (1935–41), ‘For People's Enjoyment’ (1960–6), and the more recent ‘Chornobyl Cycle’; murals, such as Peahen (1936), Cossack Grave (1962), and Bears in the Apiary (1965); and illustrations to several children's poetry books by Mykhailo Stelmakh. Her works have been displayed at Soviet and international exhibitions. Albums of her paintings were published in 1971 and 1985. The largest collection of her paintings is preserved at the National Museum of Ukrainian Decorative Folk Art.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 4 (1993).]