Primachenko, Mariia

Born Dec. 30, 1908 (Jan. 12, 1909), in the village of Bolotnia, in present-day Ivankov Raion, Kiev Oblast. Soviet master of decorative graphics. Honored Art Worker of the Ukrainian SSR (1970).

From 1935 to 1941, Primachenko worked in the experimental studios of the Kiev Museum of Ukrainian Art. She now lives in her native village. She is known primarily for small decorative prints, most of which have folklike floral and animal motifs and are executed in watercolor and gouache on paper or cardboard. In the 1950’s she introduced a colored background into her works, achieving a vibrant harmony of bright spots of local color. A recipient of the T. G. Shevchenko State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR in 1966 (for works from 1960 to 1965), Primachenko has also been awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and various medals.