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Peter
Ivanovich Cold

Russia • 1875−1930
Petr Ivanovich Kholodny (December 18, 1875, Pereyaslavl-Khmelnitsky - June 7, 1930, Warsaw) - Ukrainian artist, teacher, chemical scientist, statesman and public figure.

Features of the work of the artist Peter Kholodny: An outstanding chemist, Pyotr Kholodny began active creative activity only at the age of 35. This period was preceded by a long-term study of the properties of paints: Cold, a big fan of the impressionists, sought to use bright, vibrant colors in his work. A connoisseur of ancient Ukrainian art, he studied ancient icons, analyzed their soil and pigments, and applied the knowledge gained in his own works. The artist thoroughly studied the composition and properties of tempera paints, which he loved to work with. Pyotr Kholodny painted portraits, painted icons, created stained glass windows, enthusiastically worked on book graphics. His works are known for the Assumption Church in Lviv, the iconostasis and murals of the chapel of the Lviv Greek Catholic Theological Seminary, the icons of churches in Radelich, the stained glass windows of the church in Mraznica. As well asOleksa Novakovsky andMikhil Boychuk the artist used Byzantine style in his works, transforming it in the spirit of modern traditions, contributing to the creation of Ukrainian neo-Byzantism.

Famous works of the artist Peter Kholodny: «Girl and Peacock",Royal anddeacon the gates of the chapel of the Holy Spirit in Lviv,stained glass window Church of the Assumption of the Virgin.

See also: "Ukrainian Art Nouveau: the style of free artists"

Petr Kholodny was born in the small town of Pereyaslavl in the Poltava region. Many of the boy’s maternal relatives worked as icon painters, which subsequently had a great influence on his career. The last two years of study at the Fourth Kiev Gymnasium Petro Kholodny attended drawing coursesNikolay Murashko - in fact, it was all his official training in drawing and painting. Studying at the University of St. Vladimir, in his free time from studying mathematics and mineralogy, Peter with pleasure attended a group of amateur artists. He regularly went to sketches, participated in university exhibitions and attended every exhibition that took place in Kiev. His logical mindset, stunning performance and the gift to see the beautiful, in the end, showed the world not only a wonderful scientist, but also a wonderful artist who worked in line with the Ukrainian folk art tradition.

Lecturer in the Department of Physics of the newly founded Kiev Technical School, Petr Kholodny for many years demonstrated the results of his artistic efforts only in the family circle. In 1906, he headed the Kiev Commercial School, which he supervised until 1917. For the first time, the artist’s work was presented to the audience in 1910. They say that this step was preceded by a meeting of Peter the Cold with the artist Vasily Krichevsky, the elder brother of the future rector of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts Fedor Krichevsky. And it was Vasily Krichevsky who assured Pyotr Kholodny that he had taken place as an artist, and his work was worthy of the attention of the general public. The Cold exhibition in Kiev was a great success - there were many years of work behind us, there was something to show. A year later, together with professional artists Krichevsky,Krasitsky and Belyashevsky Petr Kholodny founded the Organization of Ukrainian Plastics, in the post-revolutionary years he took part in the creation of the National Gallery in Kiev.

An adherent of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, in 1921 Petr Kholodny emigrated to Eastern Galicia, and later moved to Lviv. Here he was actively involved in the artistic life, painted, realized himself in decorative art and book graphics, constantly participated in exhibitions. The Lviv period was the richest in the work of Peter the Cold: he painted temples and restored icons, designed stained glass windows. In addition, the scientist wrote and published scientific papers, invented a method for producing colloidal silver, worked on means of protection against toxic gases.

Peter Kholodny died in 1930 in Warsaw. A year later, a posthumous exhibition was held at the National Museum in Lviv, which showed more than 350 of his works. The artistic traditions of the master were continued by his son, Pyotr Kholodny (younger), who left for the USA in 1950 and played a significant role in the artistic life of the Ukrainian diaspora.
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