Oil painting In the shade of the sedges Oleksiy Ivanyuk

№Kalen 1625

The oil painting on Canvas titled "In the Shade of the Sedges" immerses the viewer into a moment suspended between light and shadow, where nature’s bold contrasts are expressed through powerful color and dynamic texture. It captures a place that is neither fully in daylight nor in twilight, but vibrating somewhere in between—a vibrant corner of the natural world where serenity meets tension, and the ordinary becomes electric. At the heart of the composition stands a pair of towering trees, their trunks painted in intense, cool blue and violet tones that immediately command attention. These trees, likely sedges or similar native flora, are rendered in a highly expressive, almost abstract form. Their branches stretch upward and outward like silhouettes backlit by a mysterious, unseen source of light. They form a kind of natural cathedral, their limbs arching and intertwining with an energy that feels both ancient and alive. Surrounding these central trunks, the background explodes in a mosaic of colors—flashes of red, orange, and yellow slice through the dominant indigo and cobalt tones. These warmer hues suggest patches of sunlight cutting through the canopy, possibly filtered by the dense foliage above. This interplay of warm and cool is masterfully orchestrated to suggest movement and transition: the changing time of day, a shifting breeze, or the subtle flicker of light on leaves and bark. The ground beneath the trees is a patchwork of mossy green and ultramarine blue, dabbed with impasto strokes that give it depth and richness. Dashes of cadmium yellow and ochre suggest dry leaves, grasses, or filtered sunlight. The entire forest floor pulses with vitality, refusing to sit still under the weight of shadow. It’s as though the ground itself is alive, reacting to the cool dominance of the tree trunks and the brilliance erupting from the side. To the right of the composition, a burst of glowing light floods in, illuminating a stretch of open ground in golden hues. In this lit portion of the canvas, shapes of grazing cattle can be faintly discerned, their forms reduced to blocks of brown, red, and black against the yellow field. These animals anchor the composition with a sense of life and purpose, grounding the otherwise abstract palette in rural realism. They create a visual bridge between the painterly wildness of the central trees and the orderliness of open pasture.

*** ABOUT THIS PAINTING ***
* TITLE: "In the shade of the sedges"
* ARTISTS: Oleksiy Ivanyuk
* SIZE: 100x120 cm/'39.37x47.24 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.