A bandura is a Ukrainian plucked-string folk-instrument. It combines elements of the zither and lute and, up until the 1940s, was also often called a kobza. Early instruments ( c. 1700) had 5 to 12 strings and resembled lutes.
Taras Shevchenko, also known as Kobzar (a word for a Ukrainian bard) is one of the most well known and important figures to Ukrainian cultural and linguistic history. Active in the mid 19th century, Shevchenko was a poet, writer, artist, and political figure and is credited with creating the foundation for Ukrainian literature and language in general.
These sepia ink drawings are two of many drawings Shevchenko did of a theme on a blind kobzar playing the Bandura (a Ukrainian folk instrument) in 1843, during his first trip across Ukraine. Three years later, he would write a poem on the topic, the title of which gave these pieces their alternative titles. Here's an excerpt from the poem connected to this scene:
«Отак на улиці під тином
Ще молодий кобзар стояв
І про невольника співав.
За тином слухала Ярина…»
"And so on the street by the fence
Still the young kobzar stood
And sang about a slave
Behind the fence stood Yarina..."
In this scene, Yarina recognized her husband Stepan in the blind musician, and her role is then attributed to the young woman shown in the background of these pictures. Several depictions of the scene, including the first one I show here, also places a young boy in the scene as a guide for the kobzar. His hairstyle is called an oseledets, traditional of a Kozak/Cossack depiction. The original of this first painting, one of the biggest sepia pieces done by Shevchenko, is unfortunately believed to be destroyed in a fire in 1919, but still exists in two photo copies. It was also used as art on the 2005 100 hryvnia bill.
What Is Self-Efficacy?
Self-efficacy is our belief in our own abilities, specifically our ability to meet challenges and complete tasks successfully (Akhtar, 2008).
General self-efficacy refers to our general beliefs about our ability to succeed, but there are many more specific forms of self-efficacy (e.g., academics, parenting, sports).
Self-efficacy is related to our sense of self-worth as a human being.
Happiness that we have is so elusive
Like the shadows disappearing in the noon-time
Emptiness that we have is so depressive that we lose control
Happiness that we have is so, so elusive
I'm sorry I could not freeze time
Looking through your photos I've lived your life
Like I watched the movie of your life
They're like spirits showing all at once in the night-time
All the time that we have is limited so all we do is run
And we lose control
Happiness that we have is so elusive