The Girl near the Lilac 1943

Volodymyr Bondarenko made "The Girl near the Lilac" with oil paint, using a feathery touch and colors that feel both muted and alive at the same time. It's the kind of painting where the process feels visible, like you can trace the artist's hand moving across the canvas. Look closely, and you'll see the way Bondarenko builds up the texture, especially in the lilac bushes. It's not about smooth blending but about placing each stroke just so, letting the colors vibrate against each other. The girl's dress is a swirl of browns and pinks, the folds suggested with such quick, decisive strokes. A single red ribbon around her waist creates a focal point, anchoring the whole composition. There's a raw immediacy here, a sense of being present in the moment of painting. This work reminds me a bit of Berthe Morisot, where the everyday becomes something magical through the act of painting. The magic is in the gesture, in the way art invites us to see and feel differently.