Ukrainian Madonna

4 digital paintings

Ukrainian Madonna (Madonna – 2022)

print on canvas, 60 x 120 cm each

The composition is inspired by the Ukrainian mothers of Mariupol, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and other places in Ukraine, who have given birth to their children while hiding underground, or in bunkers, during the bombing of their homes.

Never before has the combination of yellow and blue had such a dramatic tone, or drawn as many additional layers of meaning. Now, they are immediately perceived as the colors of the Ukrainian flag, synonymous with the events in Mariupol, Bucha, and many other new associations.

The fallen bomb enshrines the silhouette, which in conjunction with the Christian symbol of the Madonna creates the dome of the temple. The temple of suffering and pain, in which the greatness of the human spirit is manifest.

Lisa Larsen, Art Historian (USA): “Virgin Mary inside a bomb. It suggests the instant destruction of an archetypal image, culture, values, ideals, by a … man made, man-controlled object”.