"I was born with Ukraine, and I want to be her faithful son."
These words belong to a painter without whom the development of modern Ukrainian art is unimaginable. Oleksandr Murashko was a figure who merged European painting traditions with the deep-rooted power of Ukrainian national identity.
Today, his art has become available online thanks to our digital exhibition “Masterpieces of NAMU,” which presents treasures from the National Art Museum of Ukraine in a new, virtual format.
🖼️ A digital copy is more than just an image — it is the preservation of memory. That’s why the eMuseum team has digitized over 100 artworks from the NAMU collection. Among them are pieces by Bohomazov, Trush, Yablonska, and the Krychevsky family. Yet it is Murashko who holds a special place in this digital pantheon.
We have created high-resolution digital copies of seven of Murashko’s works, now available for viewing in exquisite detail in the virtual exhibition “Masterpieces of NAMU” on emuseum.online.
Among the digitized works is “Peasant Family”, which once stunned European audiences with its powerful depiction of Ukrainian rural life. But special attention goes to “Annunciation” (1907–1908), a mysterious and deeply contemplative piece. Art historian Diana Klochko describes it as follows:
“The artist seems to be playing with the viewer: the head and shoulders of the lily-bearer remain outside, in the daylight, but one foot has already stepped inside... The youth's figure levitates in golden-orange reflections...”
🎨 The digitization was carried out by Mykhailo Andreev, eMuseum’s lead expert in digital art reproduction. Thanks to his expertise and use of professional-grade equipment, the texture, colors, and atmosphere of each painting were captured with exceptional precision. In the online exhibition, Murashko’s works come to life in new ways — with close-ups, interactive navigation, and details you could never fully grasp in a physical gallery.
Murashko was not only a painter but also a visionary cultural leader. As one of the founders of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts in Kyiv, he helped shape a new national art education alongside Narbut, Boichuk, and the Krychevskys. Yet, as is too often the case in Ukrainian history, his life was cut tragically short. In 1919, Murashko was murdered under unclear circumstances — the mystery remains unsolved.
Despite his popularity in Europe, Murashko's name still awaits full recognition in the Ukrainian cultural narrative. He, like many of our artists, is still mistakenly labeled a “Russian painter.” Restoring historical justice is part of today’s cultural frontline. And digitizing his legacy is one way to say clearly to the world:
Murashko was Ukrainian.
