Hello World! How is it going? If you feel like celebrating something today but don't have a real reason to celebrate, I will provide you with one! Happy Birthday, Andy Warhol! Now you have a reason for celebration and drinking a shot or two )) In case you don't know who Andy Warhol is, here's his photo
If this guy still looks unfamiliar to you, here are a couple of his works. I bet you have seen them before.
Campbell's Soup Cans (1962)
Marilyn Diptych (1962)
Andy Warhol is an American artist, producer and director also known as a leading figure in pop art. He shaped and defined the visual art movement for many years to come and remains one of the most famous artists of all times. You can like his art or not, but you were definitely influenced by it at some point even if you are not aware of it. The thing is that Warhol was so significant that he influenced a great number of young artists all over the world and keeps doing it even today. So why do you think I decided to greet him with his birthday? I was writing about baking and pickling in Ukraine, about shopping and weather in Ukraine. And out of sudden I write about Andy Warhol. Weird, right? Well, the real name of Andy Warhol is Andriy Warhola and he was of Ukrainian descent. He was born in Pittsburg in a family of Ukrainian immigrants Yuliia and Ondrey Warhola in 1928.
It is an amazing thing how the United States became a native land to people from all over the world. Ukrainians are no exception. As you know, Ukraine is located on the crossroads of Europe and for centuries suffered from different military conflicts and big wars. World War I triggered a big wave of immigration from Ukrainian lands. People were seeking peace and a better life for themselves and their children. Another big wave happened during World War II. Being part of the Soviet Union and living behind the Iron Curtain definitely slowed down the immigration, but didn't eliminate it completely. The United States is a real melting pot and the land of opportunities for many of my fellow citizens. And today I would like to mention a couple of other names that you might have heard of. Some of them don't sound Ukrainian at all, but it's just because some of those people are not the first generation of immigrants, but either were born in the States or changed their names significantly.
I'm 100% sure that you do know this name - Steven Spielberg. I am not kidding, the greatest director of all times is of Jewish-Ukrainian descent. Of course, he was born in the States, just like his parents. But his grandparents on both sides come from Ukraine and immigrated to the US at the beginning of the 20th century.
I bet you also know this gal - Milla Jovovich. Yup, and unlike Spielberg, she was born in Ukraine, in our capital city Kyiv. Her family immigrated in 1980 first to London and then to the US when she was 5 years old. I do remember hearing her singing a Ukrainian folk song, which is really cool. It's hard to maintain a good spoken level of your native language when you are immersed as a child into a different language environment. I'm not sure whether she would be able to have a conversation in Ukrainian or Russian (since we are bilingual in Ukraine), but she is one of my favourite actresses and I like re-watching The Fifth Element with her a lot.
Another person I would like to mention definitely affected your life! I would even say, he affected your life on the very early stages. Drum roll, please! Pleaaaaase, give your applauses toooooooooooo Bill Tytla! Don't tell me you don't know this guy! Have you seen Snow White and Seven Dwarfs by Disney??? Or Pinocchio? Dumbo? Of course, you did! Find me an adult that didn't watch Disney cartoons as a child. So Mr Tylta is a Ukrainian American animator that worked with Disney, Paramount Studios and Terrytoons. It's so wonderful to know that somebody of Ukrainian descent created such beautiful things that admired millions and millions of people all over the world! This guy definitely rocks! Here you can check on YouTube his talented works:
and another on Vimeo:
I want to mention one more guy that sports fans will recognize - Ruslan Fedotenko, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and also my neighbour (I just figured out that he resides in Tampa Bay area). He played for such well-known teams as Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. How cool is that? He really makes me feel proud to be a Ukrainian!
As you can see Ukrainians are pretty talented people and you can find people of Ukrainian descent in all spheres of life all over the world. I'm not trying to diminish what the United States did for all those people, on the contrary, I am very grateful that they were accepted and provided with opportunities to uncover and develop their talent. I also hope that those people remember or remembered about their roots, because, as you know, without knowing our past we can't create our future.
Hope you enjoyed my short list of names and till the next story! Behave!
