Sednіv 1963

Serhij Schyschko’s ‘Sedniv’ is a landscape conjured with small strokes of oil paint. Look at the top corner of the painting. It is sky, but there is no blue, only white tinged with pink. I can imagine Schyschko standing in a field of sunflowers, dabbing the paint onto the canvas in a frenzy to capture the warmth and movement of the scene. There is the urge to sum up a whole field of flowers, rather than each individual plant. See how the paint is applied in a way that's both controlled and wild, mirroring nature itself. The thick daubs of yellow capture the sun and the joy of the scene. It's like he's saying, "Here's what it feels like to be here, right now." This piece reminds me of all the painters who’ve been drawn to the land, trying to figure out how to translate what they see and feel onto a flat surface. It's all about the exchange between artists across time and space, inspiring each other to see and feel more deeply.