Polyxena. From the Series 'Works According to Descriptions' 2019

Editor: We’re looking at Kateryna Lysovenko’s "Polyxena," created in 2019 as part of the series "Works According to Descriptions". It looks like a landscape in gouache and acrylic paint. It definitely evokes a sense of myth and otherworldly wonder, featuring centaur-like figures. What do you see in this piece, and what's your take on the narrative being portrayed? Curator: Ah, Lysovenko! She possesses that rare knack for whispering forgotten stories back into existence. Here, I see a tender chaos. Note the gentle brushstrokes suggesting form and feeling rather than precise depiction. Look at how the composition pulls the viewer in different directions, as if we're intruding on a private, fantastical world, caught in its own peculiar domesticity. It begs the question: what are they looking at and what does "Polyxena" mean? Is she a protagonist, an observer, a landscape? Perhaps she represents something far more ethereal, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely ethereal. I initially interpreted "Polyxena" as possibly the maternal figure holding the children, but maybe it's more of an environment or location that provides comfort and life. Curator: Exactly! This is a good question - and a bit of a mystery! What's fascinating is the playful challenge of translating descriptions into visual form. One can almost see Lysovenko giggling to herself as she decides where to bend reality, and where to tether herself to something familiar. Doesn’t that mountain range in the distance feel like a wisp of memory? I wonder, does it stir any particular emotional chord in you? Editor: I think so. It definitely contributes to a calming aura, and it balances the mythological chaos going on with the subjects in the painting. I was not expecting this conversation to be so fun! Thank you! Curator: Oh, anytime! This has been a treat for me, too! The magic lies in those unexpected detours in our minds. Isn’t that where the real art happens, after all?