Oil painting Winds over the steppe Oleksiy Ivanyuk

№AAA5225

The oil painting on Canvas titled "Winds over the Steppe" is a vibrant, textural celebration of the elemental forces that shape the vast, open landscapes of the steppe. Through sweeping strokes of impasto and a rich, contrasting palette, the artist evokes a world where wind moves like a living spirit—bending grasses, stirring clouds, and imbuing the land with a dynamic energy that transcends stillness. Dominating the background is a majestic range of purple and ochre-hued hills or mountains, their forms abstracted with bold brushwork. These towering shapes rise abruptly from the golden plains below, capturing the essence of distant geological power and timeless presence. They serve as a dramatic counterpoint to the relatively low and flat steppe in the foreground, suggesting both the enormity of the natural world and the way humans and animals dwell humbly within it. The sky is alive with swirling color—pale green, turquoise, soft whites—rendered in broad, tactile strokes that ripple across the top of the canvas. It feels almost liquid, constantly shifting. This swirling canopy suggests the ceaseless movement of the wind, the very breath of the steppe, as it flows from one edge of the landscape to another. The sky is not merely a backdrop; it is a major player in the mood and motion of the scene, giving a sense of fluidity to the otherwise solid terrain. Beneath this sky stretches a golden, earth-toned expanse punctuated by herds of cattle or horses—dark patches of life moving slowly across the land. Their forms are minimal yet expressive, placed with quick, deft strokes of black, rust, and brown. These animals are not the central focus, yet their presence reinforces the idea of life in motion, of survival and routine amidst the powerful forces of nature. Among them, on the left, a solitary figure dressed in red stands watchfully, their form bowed slightly as if bracing against the wind or attuned to the needs of the herd. The figure adds a human scale to the vastness, grounding the viewer in the pastoral world the painting depicts.

*** ABOUT THIS PAINTING ***
* TITLE: "Winds over the steppe"
* ARTISTS: Oleksiy Ivanyuk
* SIZE: 15x20 cm/5.90x7.87 inches'
* MEDIUM: oil, canvas
* HAND PAINTED: Original painting from our collection
* CONDITION: we tried to convey the maximum information with the help of photos about this product

About the artist: Born March 13, 1954, in the city of Piryatin, Poltava region. He graduated from the Art College named after N. Samokish (1887). Teachers in the specialty: V. Grigoriev, M. Morgun, L. Gracer. Painter. The main genres are landscape, still life. The paintings are distinguished by emotional openness, warmth, affirm the harmony of life. Dominants of creativity are the deep roots of national traditions, Ukrainian cultural heritage. Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (2008). He taught fine art at the Pyryatinsky school - gymnasium of aesthetic education (1988-2008). At creative work. Participated in exhibitions: national and international (since 1978). Personal exhibitions - in Kiev (2003, 2007-2009), Lubny (Poltava region, California (USA; 2006), Poltava (2007, 2010), Priluki (Chernihiv region, 2008), Warsaw (2009). Main works: “Flowers field ”(2007),“ Still life with a daffodil ”(2004),“ Indian summer ”(2007),“ Birch ”,“ Spiral panychi ”,“ Kalina red ”(2004),“ Field of the sun ”,“ Apple blossom ”, “Evening Breath” (2005), “Silence”, “Summer” (2006), “Sunflowers” (2007), “Plowed Field”, “Such is Life ...”, “In the Garden” (2009), “It's Cold” (2010). Individual paintings are stored in the National Museum of Art, National U. T. Shevchenko, Museum of Cultural Heritage in Kiev, Poltava Museum of Local Lore, lived and worked in the city of Poltava.