The restoration of Ukraine’s independence 33 years ago was the culmination of the efforts of many generations of Ukrainians – we have survived and chosen the path of a sovereign, independent state. August 24 has also become a day of pride in the strength and resilience of Ukraine, a day of honoring the Ukrainian heritage and multifaceted national culture, of which iconography is a special and distinctive component. The presented works of sacred painting tell about the unity of prayer and life, especially now, during the war. The icon, which for many centuries has called for repentance and protected us from enemies, remains the primary image to which prayers for our defenders and Ukraine are directed.
The exhibition features 33 icons by the famous Podillia artist Leonid Sherstyniuk. The artist works in many areas: interior design, graphics, wood carving, easel painting (landscape, still life, portrait). The easel features the Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Iberia, depicted on a cypress board, which Leonid Sherstyniuk restored in 2013 – especially for the exhibition “Pray for Ukraine” the icon was brought from the Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Korzhivtsi, Khmelnytskyi district.
The dominant theme in the artist’s work is sacred art, which he became interested in in 1996. The artist synthesizes innovative artistic solutions with traditional subjects and images of national spiritual art of different periods. The canonical writing in his works is enriched with expressive national motifs in the form of decorative elements on the clothes of saints (ornamentation in the form of stripes and fragments of embroidery); severity and asceticism disappear from their faces, the line of their lips acquires a welcoming sensuality, they seem to be humanized.
Within the strict framework of compositional requirements, the author also introduces innovative changes: the figure of the Virgin Mary is enclosed in an ellipsoidal ornamental frame, which is associated with the contours of a pysanka (“Nativity of Christ”). Moreover, the ovoid shape becomes the basis of the images. For example, the figures of angels from the “Old Testament Trinity” fit into it, sitting at an intricately painted tabletop with pysankas instead of a bowl. In the background of other works, the artist boldly introduces fragments of everyday landscapes, enriches the subject matter with images of birds, animals, and plants (“The Protection of the Virgin Mary,” “The Creator of the World”). Leonid Sherstyniuk’s teacher, Volodymyr Ovsiichuk, professor of the Lviv National Academy of Arts and Sciences, said: “Each of his icons is marked by iconographic novelty, emotionally uplifting colorful style, meaningful figurative solution and extremely sophisticated and virtuoso performance, which, in combination with skillful woodworking and framing, creates an artistic image of exceptional aesthetic sound.”
The artist refers to various iconographic subjects: images of the Savior (“Savior”, “Christ Almighty”), the Virgin Mary (“Virgin of Mercy”, “Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, “Virgin Hodegetria”) and other saints (a valiant knight on a white horse defeating a dragon serpent – “Miracle of the Holy Great Martyr George”). “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,” the ‘national saint,’ is depicted as a venerable, stately elder in bishop’s clothes, blessing with his right hand and holding a closed Gospel in his left.
The works with interesting iconographic composition attract attention: “The Old Testament Trinity” and ‘For Salvation’. The latter depicts the image of Pysanka, symbolizing Ukraine, which carries its own cross, like every person. The Pysanka ascends to heaven because Ukraine will be reborn. On the sides, with their hands raised in the air, are people frozen in prayer. Their prayer and faith fuel their spirits against all odds. This is something that cannot be measured or comprehended physically, but only felt in the heart. So let us pray for Ukraine, that we will win the victory over the enemy and that the long-awaited peace will come, because the power of common prayer is special, spoken by many people and at the same time with one heart and one mouth!

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Leonid Sherstyniuk (born August 21, 1962 in Khmelnytskyi) is a painter, graphic artist, carver; member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (2006); Honored Artist of Ukraine (2009), winner of the Mykola Darmanskyi Regional Prize in Education and Science in the nomination “Best Teacher” (2014), Professor of Khmelnytskyi National University (2020).
1989 – graduated from Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts (now Lviv National Academy of Arts), qualification: artist of decorative and applied arts, painter. Teachers: Volodymyr Ovsiichuk, Roman Vasylyk, Valerii Marchak, Myron Yatsiv.
1996 – became interested in icon painting, since 1998 – an active participant in city, regional, interregional and all-Ukrainian art exhibitions.
2010 – Associate Professor of the Department of Art Theory and Methodology at the Khmelnytskyi Humanitarian and Pedagogical Academy;
2012-2016 – member of the jury of the regional review competition of gifted youth under the program of the UFC “New Names of Ukraine”;
2013 – author of the bust of Mykola Darmanskyi, the reformer of Podillia education, the first rector of Khmelnytskyi Humanitarian and Pedagogical Academy (courtyard of KhHPA);
worked at Khmelnytsky National University until 2022.
He is the author of a textbook on drawing recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for higher humanitarian and pedagogical educational institutions and numerous scientific publications in professional journals.
His works are kept in museums and private collections in Ukraine, the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Australia.
Leonid Sherstyniuk painted a new image of the Mother of God to replace the icon of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was located above the arch in a building on Kamianetska Street in Khmelnytskyi. For many decades, the image of the Mother of God greeted the faithful on their way to the Holy Protection Cathedral and was in need of restoration (the icon was painted by Khmelnytsky painter and sculptor Volodymyr Korniev more than 30 years ago).
During the work, it turned out that the icon could not be restored: the paint had crumbled off badly, and the fiberboard sheet on which the icon was painted could no longer serve as a reliable base. “When I was convinced that it was impossible to restore the image, I began to paint a new icon of the Intercession of the Mother of God of the same size. It is made in the spirit of a modern, contemporary Ukrainian icon. I painted it with acrylic paints that do not fade for a long time. I created the rays, halo and inscriptions in gilding. I added elements of Ukrainian embroidery, which is typical for my works,” says the author.
The icon was consecrated in 2023. The old model is kept in the cathedral.