Information about the work
What emotions and meanings are embedded in the work Artist’s Studio [Maysternia khudozhnyka] (cardboard, tempera, 1985, acquired for the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum collection from the author in 1987)? It is a quiet, cozy room, yet as if frozen in time and space. Outside the window, there is only a black strip of land and a solitary, barely rendered post. The studio is deserted, yet the presence of the master is felt in everything. On the table stands a vase with flowers, while a small dried fish hangs from above. There is also an image of a woman’s head, as if observing the viewer’s reaction. What is this work about? Is it about the artist’s reflections on the theme of a new painting? About the issues of the present? About the meaning of existence? Or perhaps about the changes that began with Mikhail Gorbachev coming to power in the USSR?
The painting was created precisely in the year the new General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU took office. It was then that the policies of glasnost, acceleration [uskoreniye], and perestroika began. The author provides no answer to any question; instead, he prompts the viewer toward reflection and dialogue. On the other hand, the exquisite brushwork and calm color palette of the work invite not only philosophical contemplation, but also meditation. Despite the understatement, the light, warm, and transparent colors nonetheless inspire positivity.
Cardboard, tempera. 84,5 × 80,5
