Information about the work
The collection of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum holds 17 paintings and graphic works by Mykhailo Nikolaiev. The work Venice. Night [Venetsiya. Nitch] (canvas, oil, 1988) was acquired for the museum’s collection directly from the artist in 1990. As the artist recalls, he painted the canvas under the influence of the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni, one of whose plays served as the subject for Nikolaiev’s diploma project in scenography. The 18th-century Italian culture and aesthetics captivated the young artist so deeply that even after graduation, a portion of his work remained dedicated to this period.
The narrative motif centers on a vibrant spectacle—the legendary Venice Carnival. Historically dating back to the 11th century, it takes place annually in winter, lasting around two weeks and concluding on the eve of Ash Wednesday. Before the prolonged period of fasting and spiritual humility, the wildest extravagances and boldest erotic fantasies were realized under the cover of masks.
In Nikolaiev’s composition, nearly the entire surface of the canvas belongs to a striking pair: a slender man in a red masquerade costume and a buxom nude blonde who has shed not only her mask but also her clothing, sated by the mischievous permissiveness of the carnival. The woman appears beautiful and powerful in her unclad candor, especially in stark contrast to the costumed, masked man.
The coloristic and narrative contrasts—the red costume set against pinkish-pearl flesh, the ominously mystical white full moon against a black sky, and a delicate blue bird perched on the woman’s bare shoulder—alongside bold cropping and a fluid brushwork featuring elements of non finito, maximize the work’s emotional impact.
Erotic themes were strictly censored during the Soviet era, rendering depictions of the nude form exceedingly rare; exceptions were typically limited to mythological subjects, athletic motifs, or academic life studies. Works in the nude genre (or featuring its elements) began to emerge in the late 1980s as a provocative challenge to a hypocritical system that banned free artistic expression. Later, in 1999, the ironic provocateur Mykhailo Nikolaiev co-initiated the group exhibition Facets of Nude [Hrani Niu] at the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum featuring Khmelnytskyi artists (including Mykhailo Nikolaiev, Andrii Isaiev, Anatolii Furlet, and Oleksandr Antoniuk), which sparked public debate and sharp criticism from the media.
Oil on canvas. 60 × 60
