Powwow
Taras Shevchenko. Powwow.
Illustration to the same work by G.F.Kvitka-Osnovjanenko.
[1841, april – October. St. Petersburg].
Paper, pencil, ink, brush. 21,4 × 15,9 cm.
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g – 392.
On the back – "Near patient. Sketch.
On the left below the author's signature in ink: Shevchenko.
Illustration for essay "Powwow" for publication "Our, depicted from the nature by Russians" [SPb., 1841] performed at the request of G.Kvitka-Osnovjanenko who saw the outline types of Ukrainian on the margins of one of the Shevchenko's letters to him, March 22, 1841 replied to Shevchenko:
"Alexander P. Bashutsky prints very wise book. There will various nations: students, and merchants, and blacksmiths, and all kinds. I copied our "Powwow". And how should it pictures, I cut out your and sent to him, because he kind of looks so insistently as the need healers, who deceive and defraud people, and it also looks at him slyly. They both fall to my tale, just do not know who can process them as need, so I pointed to you and asked him this letter sent to you. When you ask about this, then, please, make so that your fingers know was that our glory departed. As you know, so compose him, because he also every piece of work" [Letters to Taras Shevchenko. – K., 1993. – S. 9].
Essay by Kvitka-Osnovjanenko created on the original Ukrainian material, written to order of compiler, editor and one of the authors of the collection A.P. Bashutsky, a relative of the writer.
For the essay Shevchenko completed one artwork, called "type" with a generalization of the main character's appearance, his psychological characteristics. It was printed in the thirteenth issue of the collection. On the collection's title indicated: "vignettes drawed by Ylychey" (the signature of Egor Ilyich Kovryhin).
Dating derived from the beginning of work on illustration and issuing October 10, 1841 censorship permission to print book.
Woodcut, inserted in the collection differs slightly in detail from the Shevchenko's original.
Figure first mentioned in 1888 by V. Gorlenko [Gorlenko V. Shevchenko's illustrations // Kievan antiquity. – 1888. – № 1 / 3. – p. 10], where noted, that original of "Powwow" is in the collection of V. Tarnowskі.
Reproduced for the first time in 1914 on mail postcard by "Education" company and simultaneously in a book by A.P. Novitsky "Taras Shevchenko as a painter" and the album "Images Shevchenko" [Novitsky Ol. Taras Shevchenko as a painter. – Lviv, Moscow, 1914. – Tabl.71; Images Shevchenko / by artistic supervision of prof. V.V. Mate. – SPb., 1914. – Vol. 2. – Tab. 3].
In the literature mentions the name "Magician" [T.H. Shevchenko Complete collection of works. – K., 1927. – p. 175].
Shevchenko's drawings in a letter to the writer's, cut and sent by him to A.P. Bashutsky, not preserved. How they are used in an illustrated essay – is unknown.
Storage areas: no later than 1888 received by V.V. Tarnowskі; from 1899 – V. Tarnowski's Chernihiv museum of ukrainian antiquities, 1925 – Chernihiv Historical Museum, 1933 – Gallery of pictures by T.H. Shevchenko (Kharkiv), from 1948 – State Museum of T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).
Exhibitions:
1929. Chernihiv. Shevchenko exhibition [Karachevska A. Exhibition of Taras Shevchenko: Guide. – Chernihiv, 1930. – p. 16. – № 10];
1984. Kyiv. Shevchenko – artist. To 170–th birthday [Shevchenko – artist: Exhibition Catalogue. – K., 1986. – p. 8].
V.O. Sudak
After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – K.: ed. of Acad. Sci. of UkrSSR, 1961, t. 7, bk. 1, № 33 (image); T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 382 – 383 (notes).