On November 8, 2010, before all-Ukrainian Day of Cultural Workers and Folk Art Artists (November 9), O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum hosted an interesting cultural and artistic event in “Knyharnia “Ye”, that was recently opened in Kropyvnytskyi on Dvortsova Str., 31. It has already become a popular place for book fans.
    The event was initiated by a well-known in our town popularize of educational tourism, Cand. Sc. Geography, experienced lecturer in the Faculty of Geography, Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University named after Volodymyr Vynnychenko, and currently a director of the bookshop Andrii Domaranskyi. He suggested presenting a book Hieronymus Bosch: Visions and Nightmares by Nils Buttner published by Kharkiv publishing house “Fabula” in 2019. In such a way he started public lectures in art for everyone who is interested in visual arts.
    It is symbolic that such a proposition was received by the leading researcher of the museum Andrii Nadezhdin because he is both an artist – Merited Artist of Ukraine, and a professional art historian- graduate of the National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture, and also an experienced museum researcher.
    Andrii Nadezhdin prepared a vivid presentation with illustrations and photographs, for the better apprehension of his narration. Andrii Nadezhdin presented the researches by a modern German art historian Nils Buttner, who is an expert in German and Dutch cultures and is engaged in research of folklore, history of book illustration, and archeology. The investigations are on one of the most mysterious artist – Dutch painter, a famous master of Northern Renaissance Hieronymus Bosch. There are almost no facts about his life at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, but many speculations and questionable art historians’ versions. Not more than 20 of his phantasmagoric works were preserved. Andrii Nadezhdin drew an analogy with the artists of the 20th century, followers of the art work and painting philosophy of the talented artist. Among the followers were mentioned our townsmen – members of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, laureates of the Regional Award in Fine Art and History of Art named after Oleksandr Osmerkin in the nomination “modern tendencies”, an outstanding graphic artist from Kropyvnytskyi Volodymyr Kyrianov, who unfortunately died early, and a painter from the village of Oleksandrivka Kirovohrad Oblast, Fedir Lahno, who now is a successful book illustrator.
    But Andrii Nadezhdin frankly said that he doesn’t know the answer to the question “How to understand Hieronymus Bosch?”, despite the fact that he has tried to reproduce Bosch’s themes, plots, and images in his own works. The researcher mentioned that any work of art – either artistic, or literary, or musical, should be perceived in the context of the time it was created, considering the world-view, religious beliefs, traditions, values, and attitude to life with all its challenges of the time. Oddly enough, but the frankness of the artist and art historian encouraged the audience to the discussion and visiting of the local art museums to understand the enigmatic sense of life in the works of the painters.
    At the end of the event, the museum director Vita Chernova thanked the director of the bookstore “Knyharnia “Ye” Andrii Domaranskyi for his suggestion to present the art album and expressed hopes for further creative cooperation.