Spring at the Window 

Editor: So, this is “Spring at the Window” by Tetyana Yablonska, we don’t have an exact date, and it’s done with oil paints. It strikes me as such a simple, peaceful domestic scene. What do you make of it? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the bottles. Look how Yablonska uses everyday, discarded glass containers as vessels for new growth. The labor that once went into producing and consuming the contents of those bottles is now repurposed, almost ironically, to nurture these budding branches. Editor: So, you’re thinking about how the painting transforms ordinary objects? Curator: Exactly! And consider the social context. In Soviet-era Ukraine, resources weren’t always readily available. The use of repurposed materials speaks volumes about resourcefulness and a practical engagement with the world. Are these fancy vases? No, these are the materials readily available to her. What does this say about "high" and "low" art in this social environment? Editor: That makes me think about how much the “stuff” around us, like those bottles, really tells us about the world. So, even the process of acquiring painting supplies becomes relevant here? Curator: Absolutely! The choice of oil paint itself, perhaps more accessible than other materials, the impasto style adding texture... it's all a material dialogue. Notice how Yablonska celebrates the labor of the hand in applying the paint, much like the labour of collecting found objects and positioning them. Editor: This is amazing! I hadn't thought about art this way, about daily lives. It really shifts the focus to how ordinary things become art. Curator: Indeed. Looking at this painting, one is forced to look at both at what's inside, but also how this relates to labor and social life.