«Chapel» By Taras Shevchenko (1845): Attribution Of A Historical Prototype

The article deals with the attribution of the famous drawing by Taras Shevchenko the "Chapel", created in 1845. The original name of the artwork is unknown as well as circumstances of how exactly Taras Shevchenko created this picture. It is also unknown if Taras Shevchenko visited Cherkasy in 1845. It is widely accepted that the poet stayed in Cherkasy only in the 1850s. Nevertheless, the drawing of the Chapel makes it possible to claim that Taras Shevchenko visited Cherkasy in 1845 and could create this drawing during his stay there. This is evidenced by the drawing itself. The landscape itself reminds rather the view of the Castle Mountain in Cherkasy than any other place in the region. Some researchers claim that Shevchenko created this picture in the village of Medvedivka. This opinion is based on several reasons, includind the artwork’s placement in the album, which contains many drawings from Chyhyryshchyna, as well as the existence of a similar chapel in the village Medvedivka, painted by the Polish artist Kazimir Pzyszychowski. However, a comparison of the drawings by Shevchenko and Pzyshikhovsky respectively shows that these were two different structures. Therefore, the authors conclude that Taras Shevchenko could draw his chapel only in Cherkasy. An analysis of the local routes that were in use by the mid-nineteenth century shows that Taras Shevchenko had to pass through Cherkasy once in 1845.