Oil painting In the foothills Oleksiy Ivanyuk

№Kalen 1587

The oil painting on Canvas titled "In the Foothills" immerses the viewer in a rugged, rural scene where the raw beauty of the natural world harmonizes with the quiet rhythm of pastoral life. This evocative composition captures a moment suspended in time, as a lone shepherdess leads her small herd of goats across the uneven, windswept terrain. With confident, impressionistic strokes and a deep, earthy palette, the artist breathes vitality and movement into a seemingly simple yet profoundly expressive landscape. At the heart of the canvas rises a dark, brooding hill — its mass dominating the upper half of the painting, outlined in expressive tones of deep umber, violet, navy, and touches of cobalt blue. The swirling texture of the hillside, created by thick layers of oil paint applied with a palette knife, conveys not just its physical form but its spiritual weight. The foothill is not merely a backdrop but a silent sentinel — ancient, immovable, and ever-watching. Shadows fall unevenly across its surface, giving it a mysterious, almost mythical quality, as if it holds the stories of generations. Below, the ground undulates with ochres, siennas, and golden rust tones, interspersed with patches of green and violet, mimicking the dry vegetation, rocky outcrops, and pathways that snake through the foothill base. The palette is warm yet tempered by the earthy browns and dark shadows that hint at the late afternoon or a passing cloudburst, casting a temporary veil over the landscape. The bold strokes and textural layering evoke the roughness of the terrain — a place that resists cultivation but yields beauty in its resistance. In this rugged landscape, a small group of goats makes its way forward. Painted in bright white and soft brown tones, their delicate forms contrast starkly with the complex, darker textures of the hillside. Their placement across the middle of the canvas introduces a sense of rhythm and movement, drawing the eye from left to right as if the viewer is walking alongside them. Each goat is rendered not with intricate detail but with a confident sense of gesture — a flick of the brush here, a daub of white there — yet they feel alive, animated by purpose. To the far right of the canvas, a lone figure — the shepherdess — becomes a focal point of quiet strength. Dressed in a bright blue blouse and a traditional headscarf of red and white, she stands out vividly against the dark hillside.

*** ABOUT THIS PAINTING ***
* TITLE: "In the foothills"
* ARTISTS: Oleksiy Ivanyuk
* SIZE: 60x70 cm/'23.62x27.55 inches'
* MEDIUM: oil, canvas
* HAND PAINTED: Original painting from our collection
* CONDITION: Photos provide accurate information about the product.

About the artist: Born March 13, 1954, in the city of Piryatin, Poltava region. He graduated from the C.n 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.