Taras Shevchenko

Taras Shevchenko (www.artukraine.com/historical/images/shevchenko_post.jpg)

My hero is Taras Shevchenko, one of the most famous Ukrainian poets. I decide to write about him because he truly represents the ideals of our country. This man was an example of a great patriot who fought for the freedom of his nation, who loved his Motherland best of all and enriched it with his deeds.

Self portrait as a soldier (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shevch_soldat.jpg)

Shevchenko’s life was very hard and tortured. Hard, because, born a serf, he expressed the sacred thoughts and aspirations of the people and became the symbol of their revolutionary struggle for freedom. Tortured, because suffering was his destiny from the cradle to the grave. The tsarist government persecuted him and suppressed his works. The revolutionary poet was cast into prison, sent to serve as a private in the army and was forbidden to write or paint.

Kateryna

Taras Shevchenko was a many-sided man. His greatest talents were in poetry and painting, especially engravings. Shevchenko’s self-portrait and the painting «Kateryna» gains our admiration for their fine artistic mastery.

In 1840 the first edition of his book, «Kobzar», was published. This book opened new ways in Ukrainian literature. Shevchenko imbued it with progressive ideas and was introduced it onto the world stage. He was the first Ukrainian writer who wrote about the beauty and force of Ukrainian language. 

I like this poet very much because he enriches my outlook, he was the symbol of revolutionary struggle for freedom and showed the beauty of Ukrainian language to the whole world.

Council, etching by Shevchenko