Ivan Merdak


Ivan Hryhorovych Merdak was a Ukrainian woodcarving master, painter and graphic artist. From 1973, he has been a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. He was the father of S. Merdak.

Biography

Ivan Merdak was born on 26 November 26, 1933, in Rajskie, now Lesko County, Rzeszów Voivodeship, Poland.
In 1946, during Operation Vistula, he was deported to the Ternopil Oblast. In 1955, he graduated from the . From 1955 to 1959, he worked at the architectural workshop of Kryvbasrudobud. In 1963, he started working as a designer in Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast.
From 1965, he lived in Ternopil, where he worked at the art workshop of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine from 1978 to 2000. From 2005, he lived in Kherson, where he died on 27 May 2007.

Creativity

In 1955, he began presenting his works at regional and national exhibitions. His solo exhibitions took place in Ternopil, Lviv, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Berezhany, and Kherson. The artist's works include portraits dedicated to historical figures, writers, folk heroes, folklore characters, and decorative plates. Some of his works are kept in the collections of the Taras Shevchenko National Museum, the Ternopil [Oblast Museum|Ternopil] and Museums of Local Lore, and the Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk Art Museums. His sculptures have been installed in Germany, Great Britain, and Sweden.
Among his important works are:

Awards