Cyril's Church (Kyiv) 1980

Yuriy Khymych conjured Cyril's Church in Kyiv with paint and probably a whole lotta heart. You know, standing in front of this piece, I'm struck by how the blue domes seem to float, like memories, above the more solid, earthy tones of the buildings below. Did he layer the paint, building up the church as a focal point, while the world surrounding it appears to melt away? I can almost feel Khymych's hand moving across the canvas, trying to capture not just the look of the place, but also its spirit, its resilience. And how hard is it to paint trees! Khymych was likely inspired by the urban landscape, echoing the work of other painters who've tried to pin down the feeling of a place. It’s like they're all chatting across time, sharing their visions of the world. Painting’s like that, an ongoing, never-ending conversation.