(c. 1650–1708) — a prominent Ukrainian icon painter, a representative of the Zhovkva school of painting. He probably came from the town of Bily Kamin near Zolochiv, which is confirmed by the signatures on his early works as “Painter of Bilokamenets”. He studied in the workshop of the painter Roman Mogilnytsky in Kamianets-Strumylova (now the city of Kamianets-Buzka). Vira Sventsitska distinguishes two stages of creativity, in which the growth of skill and the formation of style are noticeable. The first period falls on the 1680s, when the painter worked on iconostases in Volitsa-Drevlyanska, Maroshanka, Potelich and Volya Vysotsii. The second – from the 1690s. A significant work of this period is the Zhovkva iconostasis from Skvariava Novaya. The researcher suggests that Rutkovich died between 1703 and 1708.

The artist’s work significantly influenced the development of Ukrainian sacred art. The localization of preserved works is concentrated mostly in the Zhovkva district of the Lviv region. The most famous works of the painter are iconostases, as well as individual preserved icons. These include, in particular, icons from iconostases in the villages of Volitsa-Drevlyanska, Volya Vysotska, Krekhiv, Potelych, Stara Skvariava, Zhovkva, and Lviv. Petro Skop noted that the work of Ivan Rutkovich, reflecting the influences of European artistic trends relevant in his time, in particular the Mannerism style, contributed to the development of the national school of icon painting. Characteristic features of his work are a bright color palette and an individual approach to the interpretation of iconographic canons, which brought him closer to other European masters of the late 17th century. One of Rutkovich’s most notable works is the iconostasis of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Zhovkva (1697–1699). As P. Zholtovsky noted, this monument demonstrates the artist’s skill in creating complex multi-figured scenes and his ability to masterfully combine ornamental and figurative elements.

Mykhailo Skop