Epifanij Drowniak

Nikifor Drovniak (real name Epifany Drovniak) was a Ukrainian primitivist artist of Lemko origin, born on May 21, 1895 in the city of Krynica (now Krynica-Zdrój, Poland) and died on October 10, 1968 in Folusz. His life was full of difficulties: he had speech and hearing impairments, lived in poverty and loneliness, and was often considered mentally ill. Despite this, Nikifor created over 40 thousand works, mostly watercolors, on paper, cardboard, notebook covers, and other improvised materials.   His work includes self-portraits, landscapes of Krynica, and images of churches and city panoramas. In the 1930s, his works were discovered by Ukrainian artist Roman Turin, who presented them in Paris, which brought Nikifor some recognition among artists. However, real recognition came only in the 1960s thanks to the support of the Polish artist Marian Włosinski, who organized exhibitions of his works in Warsaw and other cities.  After Nikifor's death, his legacy was preserved, and today