Anyone who has been reading me for a long time knows that I come from the city of Uzhhorod and have been writing a column about #uzhhorodsculptures for a long time. They have become a tourist attraction of the city and always fascinate people.
But, in addition to small sculptures, there are other interesting places that are worth seeing while in our small town. That's why I'm announcing the Uzhhorod guidebook, which will have everything I appreciate and love, but it's not a mini sculpture :)
So, today I will tell you about the monument to Gnat Roshkovych, which is located in the heart of the city.
Who is Gnat Roshkovich?
Gnat Roshkovych is a Hungarian painter and graphic artist of Ukrainian origin, a representative of the academic school of Munich Realism. Gnat Roshkovych was born into the family of a Greek Catholic priest in the village of Slavkivtsi near Zemplyn, Pryashivshchyna, which was part of Austria-Hungary. He graduated from elementary school in the village. Slavkovtse. In 1866, his father, Gnat Roshkovych Sr., was appointed clergyman of the Uzhhorod Theological Seminary, and the Roshkovych family moved to Uzhhorod.
Here Gnat Roshkovych studied at the Uzhhorod gymnasium for two years, but then suddenly fell ill with typhus. Due to a long illness and hearing loss, as a result of complications, he was unable to continue his studies at the gymnasium. He was educated at home. It was at this time that Gnat became interested in drawing.
From 1881 to 1882 he studied at the Munich Academy of Arts. Here he created his famous painting "The Descent of the Holy Spirit." And at the exhibition in Budapest in 1882, Roshkovich's painting "Little Red Apple" received public recognition, it was made many reproductions.
In 1882–1883, Gnat Roshkovych was in Rome, where he seriously delved into church painting. Later, the artist got a job as a drawing teacher in Uzhhorod. The artist's creative work in Transcarpathia remained in the form of paintings of churches, iconostasis, and some works of art. He owns paintings of the iconostasis in the Church of the Assumption in Mukachevo, in the Church of the Transfiguration in Uzhhorod, in the village of Velyka Kopanya, Vynohradiv district. He made "Shrouds" for Uzhhorod and Presov cathedrals.
The Transcarpathian Regional Art Museum named after Joseph Bokshay preserves the work of Gnat Roshkovich "Saints Cyril and Methodius" and a portrait of Count Jozef Terek. The artist also made a series of illustrations for the encyclopedia "Austria-Hungary in descriptions and images", including graphic drawings of Uzhhorod Castle and the county.
From 1885 to 1915 the artist lived in Budapest, where he died. One of his last works was the painting of the iconostasis of the Greek Catholic Church on Rose Square in Budapest.
What is the history of sculpture?
The monument was inaugurated on November 19, 2012. The monument was made by the sculptor Mykhailo Kolodko in his studio, which at that time was located at 14 Kapitulna Street. It was in this house that the family of Gnat Roshkovych, who was then one of the most famous families in Uzhhorod, once lived.
Looking at the monument, you can see a picture painted on an easel, which depicts the river Uzh and the Pedestrian Bridge, but as they were in the early 20th century. Thus, looking at the monument, you can look into the past and look at Uzhhorod through the eyes of an artist.
By the way, the monument to Roshkovych has its twin brother, created by the same author as a gift to Hungary. It is located in Budapest on the banks of the Danube River, near the Hungarian Parliament. The painting painted by the artist in the Hungarian capital shows the Danube itself and the bridge of Count Istvan Secheny. This is the only difference between these, otherwise identical, sculptures.
A little more than 400 kilograms of bronze went to the monument to Gnat Roshkovych, and the name of the author of the sculpture was engraved on the tip of a pencil held by the artist.
Where can you see the sculpture?
The sculpture is located in Uzhhorod on Eugene Francis Square 6, near the Independence Embankment
The exact coordinates of the GPS are 48.622287, 22.297941
You can also save my map to Pinmapple.
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