Information about the work
The collection of the Sumy Regional Art Museum holds the canvas Untitled [Bez nazvy] (oil on canvas, 1989, acquired by the museum collection in 1991). In this abstract landscape, decorative in nature, the lower section reveals leafless tree trunks outlined amidst colorful spots, brushstrokes, wavy stripes, and swirls, one of which is contoured in black at the center. Flanking the tree are two large yellow spots framed by wavy lines and hatches, topped by a dark blue cloud-like patch and a multicolored butterfly.
The very title of Leonid Vartyvanov’s work speaks for itself—and it is honest, for here nothing can be named. The image exists, yet eludes verbal definition. This work belongs to the realm of expressive, abstract-figurative painting, where the primary roles are played by color, rhythm, and gesture. The composition is dynamic and built without strict symmetry. The center is implicitly offset, yet attention is drawn to a cluster of active brushstrokes in the middle section. Vertical elements (blue-black forms) reminiscent of trees or silhouettes create a structural framework, while diagonal strokes lend movement and tension.
The space appears layered, as though fragments overlap one another. Color serves as the key vehicle of expression. Contrastive combinations are used, where saturated blues and light blues are pitted against warm yellows, reds, and oranges. This interplay of cool and warm hues creates emotional tension and a sense of internal movement. Yellow planes at the bottom may evoke light or earth, whereas the upper area is filled with more chaotic, “aerial” colors. The brushwork is free, energetic, and at times impulsive. The paint is impastoed and layered, trickling in places, which adds an effect of spontaneity to the piece. The artist’s intention is palpable: rather than detailing what is depicted, he aims to capture an emotional state of his perception and authorial vision.
Despite its abstractness, hints of natural motifs emerge: trees, vegetation, perhaps a landscape. However, this is not a representation of a specific place, but a generalized, almost symbolic space. The forms can be read as figures or signs, lending the work polysemy and depth. The subject conveys a state of energy, movement, and even a certain inner struggle or transformation. It is far from tranquil—rather tense, alive, and impulsive. At the same time, the vibrancy of colors adds a sense of life-affirmation. The work leans toward Expressionism or Abstract Expressionism, where the focal point is not narrative or precise form, but the artist’s inner experience and the immediate expression of emotion through painterly means.