Sophia of Kyiv, interior 1959

Yuriy Khymych made this watercolour painting, 'Sophia of Kyiv, interior', at an unknown date. The colours are muted, almost faded, giving the impression of a scene viewed through time. It looks like he's working with quite a dry brush and a limited palette, which gives a beautiful, scratchy texture, especially in the darker areas around the archway. I'm drawn to the way the light seems to catch the gold mosaic behind the Madonna figure. It's not just flat gold; there's depth and shimmer, created with layers of thin washes. It almost feels like he’s trying to capture the way light itself feels in that space, and how it feels to be present, observing the scene. Khymych often captured architectural scenes in Kyiv. Like a more contemporary artist, say, someone like Lois Dodd who painted the same window over and over, Khymych finds endless fascination and beauty in the built environment.