art.wikisort.org - Artist

Pelageya Andreyevna Rayko (nee Soldatova; Ukrainian: Райко Пелагея Андріївна; 5 May 1928 - 15 January 2004) was a Ukrainian naïve painter who started painting her property at the age of 69. Her home is a national cultural monument of Ukraine.

Polina Rayko
Born	Pelageya Andreyeva Soldatova (1928-05-05)5 May 1928 Oleshky, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	15 January 2004(2004-01-15) (aged 75)
Style	Naïve art
Children	2

Biography

Rayko was born 5 May 1928 in Oleshky.[1] Rayko had three sisters.[2] She was deported to Germany[3] but later returned to Ukraine before marrying Nikolay Alekseyevich Rayko in 1950 at the age of 22.[4] They survived by growing their own fruits and vegetables and doing seasonal work on a kolkhoz.[5] They had a daughter, Elena in 1951. Their son, Sergey was born in 1953. The family built a house on 74 Nyzhnia Street, Oleshky near the Chaika and Konka rivers in 1954.[4][1]

Her husband and son abused alcohol.[5] Her son was imprisoned for three years after he nearly destroyed the family home and sold stolen items including the electrical wiring. After his release, he stabbed his mother with a knife. In 1994, Elena died in a car accident. Rayko's husband died in 1995. In 1997, Sergey was sent to a refuge colony.[4] He died in 2002 from cirrhosis.[6]

In the autumn of 1998, she began painting her home as a method to process her family hardships. She used her ₴74 monthly pension to buy paint and brushes. She eventually painted the entire property. Her home became a local tourist attraction. In 2003, the Kherson Centre Totem creative group planned to publish an album of Rayko's works. She died on 15 January 2004.[4]

Her grandson sold her house for US$5,000 to Andrius Nemickas, a Canadian living in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife.[5] Her house is protected by a federal cultural heritage law.[7] It is considered a national cultural monument of Ukraine.[5]

Inspired by Rayko's paintings during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, pro-Ukrainian activists in Russian-occupied Kherson used a dove as a symbol of cultural resistance.[8]

References

External links

• Media related to Polina Raiko at Wikimedia Commons

На других языках

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- [en] Polina Rayko

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[it] Pelaheja Andriïvna Rajko

Pelaheja Andriïvna Rajko, nata Soldatova, nota anche con lo pseudonimo di Polina Rayko o Raiko (in ucraino: Райко Пелагея Андріївна?, traslitterato anche come Pelageya Andreevna Raiko; Cjurupyns'k, aprile 1928[1] – Cjurupyns'k, 15 gennaio 2004), è stata una pittrice ucraina autodidatta.

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[ru] Райко, Пелагея Андреевна

Пелагея (Полина) Андреевна Райко (девичья фамилия Солдатова; 15 мая 1928, Цюрупинск, Херсонская область, Украинская ССР, СССР — 15 января 2004, Цюрупинск, Херсонская область, Украина) — украинская художница, работавшая в стиле наивного искусства.

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