Information about the work
Art historians loosely divide the artist’s output into three distinct periods: the conditionally realistic (1984–1991); the mythological-idealistic (1992–1997); and the period of individual interpretation of images (1998–2005). The painting The Banks of the Styx [Berehy Styxu] (canvas, oil, 1991, acquired for the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum collection from the author in 1992) balances on the threshold between the artist’s first and second creative periods. The Styx is most commonly associated with Greek mythology—it is the sacred river separating the realm of the living from the underworld of the dead (Hades). The souls of the deceased were ferried across it by Charon, who was paid with a coin. Its waters were believed to be poisonous and capable of corroding metals. According to legend, bathing in the Styx granted invulnerability (as Achilles’ mother did for her son). Flemish painter Joachim Patinir depicted the river in his famous artwork Charon Crossing the Styx (1520–1524; Museo del Prado, Madrid).
Regarding the exhibited canvas, the artist operates through flat planes of color, thinking in hues, their relationships, and subtle tonalities. Through this painterly technique, the author creates a cohesive, mystical vision of the afterlife. Fedoruk builds a balanced composition out of seemingly insignificant, random shadows, highlights, and subtle color nuances. The work is perceived simultaneously as an abstraction and a landscape.
Oil on canvas. 90,5 × 90,5
