"As a small boy, when I attended church, I was overwhelmed by the the "Iconostasis"1 on which everything was so beautifully painted and so meaningfully expressed. Later in my life, I decided to present in my graphics, in a similiar way, the history and the culture of Lemko People. I named this cycle of my work "Lemko Iconostasis". Upon completion of this collection in 1992, I dedicated it to the Millenium Anniversary of the Union of Lemkivshchyna with Rus'-Ukraine in 992 by Prince Volodymyr."
From the letter of V. Madzelan dated February 1993 to the preparer of this book Ivan Krasovskyi
1. "Iconostasis" is a partition wall in Eastern Christian Churches, which separates the sanctuary (the part of the church around the altar) from an area used by the congregation. On this wall in order of importance and chronologically are depicted pictures of churche's credo: God, trinity, evangelists, apostols and Christ's life from the Immaculate Conception to Ascension (Christ bodily passing from earth to heaven).
"Lemkos, my brothers, if you are still living in some corner of our planet and your heart did not turn yet into the stone, and also if you witnessed these terrible years, write about them in the "Memorial Book", paint it in the "Lemko Icon", tell it to your and strangers grandchildren and to your neighbors, because this is your sacred obligation to your Great Ukrainian Nation."
(Semen Madzelan)
An excerpt from the comment on his brother's Vasyl graphic "Operation Wisla."
" In this book are presented the reproductions, with their descriptions of 33 graphics created by the artist V. Madzelan, which deal with Lemko theme. They are works of art about the history, the culture and the customs of Lemkos. They were donated by the artist to the Lemko Museum in L'viv. The explanatory texts were prepared by the brother of the artist - Semen Madzelan."
"Dedicated to Lemko art ....." Nashe Slovo - Roman Odrekhivskyi.
"Only old Lemkos remember now Lemkivshchyna in its original state; such, as they inherited from their ancestors. They recall it as warm "God's Dew" along which the Easter bells called them to themselves. They remember village after village, church after church, mountain after mountain, as well as their native tongue, song and traditions. Our generation had a fortune to see it happy as childhood, sad as orphan hood and tragic as the earthquake"(S.M.)
"Nase Slovo" - "Easter Dream"
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