Reaping. Hiok. 

Volodymyr Orlovsky painted this oil on canvas, entitled "Reaping," sometime in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The artwork depicts women working in a wheat field under a vast sky, reflecting a deep connection to the land. Paintings like this contributed to the visual construction of Ukrainian national identity. During Orlovsky's time, Ukraine was divided between empires, and cultural production became a vital means of asserting a distinct Ukrainian identity. This painting romanticizes rural life and the labor of Ukrainian peasants. However, it glosses over the harsh realities of their existence. The vastness of the landscape can be read as an allegory for the Ukrainian spirit. The reapers are idealized types more than portraits of individuals. Further research into the artist's biography, the social history of Ukrainian peasantry, and the cultural politics of the period will enrich our understanding of the painting. Art history can reveal the complex interplay between art, identity, and social context.