Taras Shevchenko

His collection Kobzar (1840) and the poems that followed are credited with laying the foundations of modern Ukrainian literature and showing that Ukrainian could carry serious poetry; by the 1990s parts of Kobzar had been translated into more than 100 languages.

A painter trained at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Karl Briullov, he issued the etching album Picturesque Ukraine in 1844, painted more than 150 portraits and was named Academician of Engraving in 1860.

Under a ban on writing and painting during his 1847-57 military exile, he went on writing poems in secret notebooks and, as artist of the 1848-49 Aral Sea expedition, painted the landscapes of the region.

Banned from writing and painting in exile, he copied one of his poems into a small book hidden in his boot, and he was re-arrested in 1850 for violating the ban.

This is consistent with continuing his creative work despite a real risk of punishment. Persistence

In January 1861 he compiled a primer for Ukrainian Sunday schools, published it at his own expense and gave copies free to the schools.

This is consistent with putting his own money into work meant to help others learn. Impact Motivation

Returning to St Petersburg in 1859, he took up etching and aquatint, and in September 1860 the Academy of Arts named him Academician of Engraving.

This is consistent with turning to a new medium late in his career and pursuing it to formal recognition. Experimentation