Kate Wear a Hat 1998

Curator: Here we have Viktor Lyapkalo's 1998 oil painting, "Kate Wear a Hat." What's your initial take on this striking figure? Editor: It’s... provocative. There's a blatant vulnerability, coupled with a confident gaze. The scale seems imposing, and I’m struck by the bold brushstrokes, especially given the subject matter. It makes a statement about power, or lack thereof. Curator: Precisely. It certainly departs from conventional nudes throughout art history, particularly considering Lyapkalo’s positioning in the late 20th-century art world. Consider the themes it plays with. We see the figure, nude and visibly pregnant, but then there's the hat and an apple. Editor: Ah, a clear nod to the Eve narrative! That reframes everything. She’s not just pregnant; she’s carrying the weight of that symbolic choice. And yet, she wears that hat like armor, disrupting any sense of passive submission. It reads like an open challenge. I'm also noticing the sharp, red nails. Anachronistic and deliberate. Curator: The use of that classical reference allows Lyapkalo to critique prevailing notions of femininity. How does the art historical depiction of women shift under a Soviet or Post-Soviet, more accurately Ukrainian, lens? What expectations about representation were in play at the time, and how does Lyapkalo both abide by and dismantle them? Editor: That is a valid and an interesting point. To me, the painting questions the viewer's expectations of motherhood, fertility and choice. The stark vulnerability of her pregnancy stands in direct conflict with the almost defiant look in her eyes. Curator: It prompts reflection on how we’ve coded the female body throughout history, often dictated by institutions. Lyapkalo is making a statement about the public gaze itself, compelling the viewer to reconsider those preconceptions. Editor: Exactly. Looking at Lyapkalo's painting prompts discussions about sexuality, agency, and the layered experience of being a woman in a patriarchal structure. It has forced me to consider what I expected from such a painting, and where those expectations originate from. Curator: Well, that’s Lyapkalo for you, offering an invitation for viewers to face these entrenched historical tropes.