Bakhchisarai. Khan's Palace 1962

Yuriy Khymych created this painting of the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisarai using gouache, a kind of opaque watercolor. The effect is striking, with bold colors and flattened forms that recall printmaking. It’s worth considering that Khymych was primarily an architectural designer, as well as a painter. He wasn't interested in traditional methods; his focus was on the built environment, and its social impact. Here, he captures the Palace with simple, assured strokes, emphasizing its architectural elements. The layers of color and the texture of the gouache paint give the building a solid, tangible presence. Yet the painting also has a dreamlike quality, almost as if it were emerging from the artist's imagination. Khymych’s training as an architect deeply influenced his artistic output, highlighting the links between design, representation, and the cultural value we assign to places and buildings. He prompts us to consider the social context that invests the Palace with meaning.