Sketch of the Mosaic Panel 'Symphony of Labor' for the Design of the Exterior of a Building on the Brest Litovsk Highway in Kyiv 1968

Curator: What a wonderfully strange symphony we have here! I mean that quite literally, because this is Valerii Lamakh's "Sketch of the Mosaic Panel 'Symphony of Labor' for the Design of the Exterior of a Building on the Brest Litovsk Highway in Kyiv" from 1968. Mixed-media, preparatory, and quite dazzling, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Dazzling, indeed. It’s got a chaotic beauty. It feels almost pixelated before pixels were really a thing. There’s a warmth in the colours, even if the overall impression feels… fragmenting? Curator: Fragmenting… yes, perhaps deliberately so. It’s interesting to consider this as a design *for* something monumental – a building façade. So it's a social realist piece, destined for public consumption. The heroic worker is definitely present. Editor: Oh, the socialist realism comes through loud and clear in the subject matter - those strong worker figures are icons in themselves, and even with this stylistic handling, there is no mistaking who these individuals are supposed to be: strong figures meant to communicate powerful political ideals to the common public. However, it's a much more modern take! Note how those repeated, almost buzzing dots remind me of the micro-level energy behind collective labor and progress. The choice of the red, ochre, and tan colour schemes are important as they represent the cultural symbolism. Curator: Absolutely! The figures feel simultaneously grounded in tradition and pushing against it, just as the mosaic medium itself is both ancient and enduring. This tension, I suspect, embodies the spirit of the Soviet non-conformist art movement Lamakh belonged to. Also note those decorative flourishes, and geometric elements - particularly that stylized wave form near the base. Does that convey something of the "symphony" hinted at in the title, or suggest anything more about Ukrainian cultural identity? Editor: Very perceptive observation. Those curving lines feel like an ancient echo - something reaching far beyond socialist imagery and delving into Ukrainian cultural memory. Waves, the movement of water, the cycle of history. Even that blue star strikes me as…hopeful, perhaps. Curator: Lamakh found a fascinating intersection here - a crossroads between what was required of him, what he wished to express, and what lingers in the cultural soul. Thanks to his ability to meld old-world craft with new-world artistic sensibility, and to his deft touch and unique symbolism that alludes to what is beyond immediate comprehension. Editor: I leave this image with a heightened sense of both nostalgia and yearning; that is what a historical cultural artifact should accomplish in its design: an ability to resonate on levels beyond pure intellectual appraisal to find the emotional chord in anyone regardless of how far removed.