Information about the work
The painting Slaughterhouse [Biynya] (oil on canvas, 1984; acquired by the Sumy Regional Art Museum in 1988) was created at the beginning of the artist’s creative development. It is an expressive, somewhat naively stylized composition featuring two human figures and a fantastical creature resembling a red cow or mythical beast against a neutral backdrop.
The subject matter reads as symbolic rather than realistic. The characters’ faces are generalized and slightly distorted, conveying a sense of inner absorption or even alienation. The figures register as timeless, almost archetypal. The red creature can be interpreted as a symbol of sacrifice or prey, an embodiment of subconscious fear, or a fantastical totem. Warm, earthy, and dark tones dominate—browns, reds, and ochres. The red hue of the creature contrasts sharply with the background, heightening the scene’s drama.
The work is executed in a naive style with expressionist elements, as evidenced by simplified forms, the absence of academic perspective, and an emotional delivery achieved through formal distortion and a tense atmosphere. The painting evokes a mixture of anxiety, mystery, and a slight sense of eerie discomfort. It appears to speak of latent fears, inner experiences, or humanity’s connection to the irrational world. The author presents the animal’s body as matter decomposing under the pressure of irony. Overall, Roitburd’s works fit most fully among the artists of his generation into the postmodern model of art, with its fascination with quotation, free eclecticism, and the synthesis of “high” and “low,” classical and popular culture.