From the series 'Father' 2019

Curator: Looking at Kateryna Lysovenko's acrylic painting, "From the series 'Father'," created in 2019, my first impression is the sheer boldness of its devotional character—a re-imagining of iconographic symbolism for our time. Editor: Bold, yes, but also intimate. It feels…almost like a sketch, a moment captured in the hushed intensity of thought. I find her expression particularly moving—it seems both apprehensive and wise. Curator: That emotional complexity resonates powerfully with traditional representations of holy figures contemplating their destiny. Notice how the halo, rendered in a simplified, almost casual white, doesn’t detract from the intensely human features of the sitter. Editor: And the open book. A blank page turning, maybe, a moment for something miraculous to begin. Do you feel there's a personal narrative here? Curator: Undeniably. Lysovenko isn’t just echoing established religious tropes; she’s reinvesting them with a new sensitivity. The father-figure allusion in the series title begs questions about paternal identity—both earthly and divine—and what kind of legacy might unfold here. Editor: Right. I can’t shake the feeling that it's very deeply personal. The slightly unsettling color palette and that awkward posture – like trying to sit at attention but finding the body rebels – it speaks volumes, and asks more than it answers. Curator: And it dares to. Through these unconventional visual cues, she builds a potent atmosphere, sparking conversations about our relationship with power, heritage, and grace in the twenty-first century. It really causes us to reconsider iconography's power. Editor: Well, now I'm going to look at family portraits in a completely new way, thank you for pointing that out to me. I wonder, what happens after you put the brush down. Curator: That is always the question! But for now, perhaps we can all keep musing on that delicate balance between history and our current narratives.