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Myron Kyprian
theatre artist, graphic artist and painter
Myron Kyprian (1930-2019) was born in Vynnyky near Lviv into a family of aristocratic origin. The artist's work began in the 1950s and 1970s, in an era when culture was subject to strict control and censorship. It was then that Cyprian became one of the first people on the Ukrainian scene to speak out against painted backs and illustrations of historical books.
He balanced the role of an artist with that of a director and was one of the first to create effective scenography. It is also important that when working on the design of performances, Cyprian combined European art with an understanding of national forms and traditions.
Artworks
Biography
EDUCATION
1954-1960
1960-1965
1965-1997
2003-2017
1998-2002
Exhibitions:
Myron Kyprian studied at the Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts (1954) under Vitold Monastyrskyi. At the same time, he studied the basics of scenography at the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he worked in the second shift under the direction of Fedir Nirod.
After receiving a diploma in art, Cyprian created a fine arts studio at the Teacher's House. Together with his students, he staged performances and developed the first stage designs. For three years he worked as the chief artist of the Lviv Puppet Theatre. After receiving his first award (laureate of the All-Union Festival of Theatres in 1957) together with director Arkadii Klipp for the creation of the play ‘At the Pike's Command’ by V. Tarakhovska, he moved to work as a production designer at the Lviv Maria Zankovetska Theatre, where he held the position of chief artist from 1963 to 2019.
Myron Kyprian's stage thinking was shaped in collaboration with directors Borys Romanytskyi and Borys Tyagno, students of Les Kurbas and reformers of Ukrainian theatre in the first half of the twentieth century. Together with Borys Tyagno, who was the chief director of the Maria Zankovetska Theatre from 1942 to 1962, Cyprian created four plays: ‘Guillermo Figueiredo's Aesop (1958), Oleksandr Korniychuk's Why the Stars Smiled (1958), Ivan Kocherha's The Name (1959), and the director's last work, Oleksandr Levada's Faust and Death (1960), which became a real triumph for Cyprian. In an interview with Svitlana Maksymenko, the artist said: ‘The scene had the shape of a spiral, which I ‘launched into space’ (with small light bulbs it rose from the ground to the sky), and in the depths of the scene a huge globe was rotating.
Mehantrop-Bohdan Stupka went on stage in a spacesuit that no one had any idea about at the time: it was classified. I guessed it... Later I saw astronauts' clothes, including spacesuits.’ Cyprian is gaining recognition and popularity in theatre circles, and dozens of theatres in Ukraine invite him to work with them. He has staged productions in Georgia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
During this period, Kyprian began travelling abroad. First to Germany, then to France, Czechoslovakia and other European countries. No trip was complete without a visit to the theatre and meetings with leading European stage designers.
In the second half of the 1960s, Kyprian also staged productions in youth theatres and the Ivan Franko Theatre in Kyiv. During this period, the artist worked with such directors as: Serhiy Smiyan, Oleksiy Ripko, Borys Romanitskyi, Mykhailo Hilyarovskyi, Anatoliy Rotenstein, and Dmytro Aleksidze. These are the performances at the Maria Zankovetska Theatre: ‘The Ruined Citadel by X. Lovinescu, directed by Anatolii Rotenstein (1961), J. Edlis's The Wave, directed by A. Horchynskyi (1962), Before Dinner, directed by O. Maksymova (1963), M. Zarudnyi's Love Came, directed by A. Horchynskyi (1963), The Light of a Distant Star by O. Chakovskyi and P. Pavlovskyi, directed by S. Smiyan (1964), H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko's Shelman-Day Laborer, directed by A. Horchynskyi (1964), O. Korniychuk's Diary Page, directed by O. Hai (1964), M. Zarudny's Marina, directed by M. Kudynenko (1965), Honour Your Father, directed by O. Ripko (1965).
With the chief director of the Lviv Maria Zankovetska Theatre Serhii Danchenko, the artist created the following performances: ‘The Widower’ by O. Stein (1965), “Man Overboard” by A. Shkolnyk (1966), “Maclena Gras” by Mykola Kulish (1966), “My Word” by Vasyl Stefanyk (1966, staged by S. Danchenko), “In the Steppes of Ukraine” by Oleksandr Korniychuk (1966). Danchenko), In the Steppes of Ukraine by Oleksandr Korniychuk (1972), The Time of Yellow Leaves by Mykola Zarudnyi (1973), The Flag Bearers by Oles Honchar (1975), Stolen Happiness by Ivan Franko (1976), The Home Front by Mykola Zarudnyi (1977), Silver Web by Oleksiy Kolomiets (1978), directed by Serhiy Danchenko and B. Suslovskyi.
Having absorbed the traditions of world art, Myron Kyprian's creative style has always been based on pronounced national details. In productions based on plays by Ukrainian playwrights, the characters' images were created on the basis of traditional Ukrainian clothing: ‘Let the Heart Go, It Will Take You into Captivity’ by M. Kropyvnytskyi, directed by O. Ripko (1977), “Oleksa Dovbush” by V. Bosovych, directed by B. Suslovskyi and F. Stryhun (1985), “Oh, Don't Go, Hrytsia, to the Party” by M. Starytskyi, directed by M. Lukavetskyi (1986), “Talentless” by I. Karpenko-Kary, directed by F. Stryhun (1987). Stryhun (1987), Taras Shevchenko's Haydamaky, directed by F. Stryhun (1988), Marusya Churai by F. Stryhun after L. Kostenko, directed by F. Stryhun (1989), Oh, Rejoice, Earth..., a folk nativity scene, directed by F. Stryhun (1990), Natalka Poltavka by I. Kotliarevskyi and M. Lysenko, directed by F. Stryhun (1991), and others. The fashion of Ukrainians of the princely era became the basis for the creation of performances: ‘Bohdan Khmelnytsky’ by O. Korniy, directed by V. Opanasenko (1978), “The Dream of Prince Sviatoslav” by I. Franko, directed by A. Kravchuk (1981), “Prince Danylo Halytsky” by V. Bosovych, directed by A. Babenko and F. Stryhun. Babenko and F. Stryhun (1986), ‘Pavlo Polubotok’ by K. Bureviy, directed by F. Stryhun (1990), ‘Mazepa’ by B. Lepkyi (staged by B. Antkiv), directed by F. Stryhin (1990), etc.
Throughout his career, Kyprian created scenography and costumes for five plays by William Shakespeare: ‘King Lear, directed by Mykhailo Hilyarovskyi (1969), Richard III with Serhiy Danchenko (1974), Othello with A. Babenko (1985), Romeo and Juliet (1993) and Hamlet (1997) with Fedir Stryhun.
During this period, Myron Kyprian worked on performances at the Zankovetska Theatre: ‘My profession is a high society lord’ Scarnacci and R. Tarabuzi, directed by V. Sikorsky (1998), ‘Beloved Unloved’ by Y. Stelmakh, directed by F. Stryhun, composer I. Nebesny (1999), ‘Talent’ by M. Starytsky, directed by A. Babenko (1999), ‘Triumphant Woman’ by N. Kovalyk, directed by F. Stryhun (2000), ‘Andriy’ by V. Herasymchuk, directed by F. Stryhun. Stryhun, (2000), Salacro's Margarita, directed by H. Volovetska, artist M. Kyprian, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by K. Kizi, D. Wasserman, directed by V. Sikorsky, composer I. Nebesny (2002), Eight Loving Women by R. Tomm, directed by A. Babenko (2002), Misanthrope by E. Labish (student performance), directed by B. Kozak
Among the latest works of the scenographer at the Maria Zankovetska Theatre: ‘The Kaidashev Family’ by I. Nechuy-Levytsky (2003), “Love and Uniform” by F. Molnar, directed by V. Sikorsky (2005), “The Sages of Chelem” by M. Gershenzon, directed by V. Sikorsky. Sikorsky, ‘Savva Chaly’ by I. Karpenko-Kary, directed by F. Stryhun, ‘Amadeus’ by P. Schaeffer, directed by V. Sikorsky (2006), ‘Suede Jacket’ by S. Stratiev, directed by V. Sikorsky. Sikorsky (2007), Three Ideal Spouses by A. Kasson, directed by A. Babenko (2008), The Story of a Horse by M. Rozovsky after Leo Tolstoy, directed by V. Sikorsky, Crisis by O. Ogorodnyk, directed by O. Ogorodnyk, Three Comrades by E. Remarque, directed by V. Sikorsky, Matchmaking at Goncharivka by H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko (2009), The Message... by B. Kozak after Taras Shevchenko (one-man show), directed by A. Babenko (2010), By the Pike's Command by M. Kropyvnytskyi, directed by V. Sikorsky (2010), Slave by Taras Shevchenko, directed by F. Stryhun. Stryhun, The Last Buckwheat Grower by O. Ohorodnyk, directed by O. Ohorodnyk (2011), The Abyss by O. Ohorodnyk, directed by O. Ohorodnyk (2015), Kiss of Loneliness by B. Horak, directed by A. Babenko (2017).
During his career, Myron Kyprian has designed more than 300 performances, including 200 at the Lviv Maria Zankovetska Theatre. In addition, being a virtuoso colourist, the artist left a rather large pictorial heritage. Cyprian painted portraits of his famous relatives and famous contemporaries with whom he worked together. In the last years of his life, he was engaged in publicistic activities and published about twenty books and reprints.
Awards / memberships:
Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (since 1969). In 1978, he received the Shevchenko Prize together with M. Zarudnyi, S. Danchenko, N. Dotsenko, V. Maksymenko, and F. Stryhun for the play ‘Home Front’ at the Lviv Ukrainian Drama Theatre named after M. Zankovetska. In 1988, he was awarded the title of People's Artist. In 1998, he was awarded the W. Klech Prize (USA).
Myron Kyprian has participated in art exhibitions since the 1960s.
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2024 - exhibition of Myron Kyprian's works in three exhibitions of the project ‘Ukrainian Theatre Costume of the XX-XXI Centuries: Identity, Context, Landscape’ at the gallery of the Dzyga Art Centre (Lviv), the gallery of the Centre for Intercultural Creative Initiatives ‘Rozdroża’ (Lublin), and the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema (Kyiv). The project is supported by the UCF and the Ukrainian Institute
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2020 - ‘Myron Kyprian. A Life Spent in the Theatre’ at the Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv. This is a joint project of the museum and the Maria Zankovetska National Theatre.
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2005 - exhibition of Myron Kyprian's works at the Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv
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1994 - a personal exhibition of Myron Kyprian's stage designs, paintings and graphics
Articles
