Oil painting Running from a thunderstorm Igor Konovalov

№Kon 129

The oil painting on canvas titled "Running from a Thunderstorm" presents a striking fusion of surrealism and fantasy, capturing a moment of urgency and wonder. At the center of the composition, a young woman, clad in minimal swimwear, clutches an oversized inflatable ring as she leaps through the sky. Her expression conveys exhilaration, perhaps even a hint of fear, as she escapes an unseen force. Her dark, windswept hair flows behind her, reinforcing the sensation of motion and the rush of adrenaline. She wears mismatched sneakers, an unusual yet playful detail that adds to the dreamlike absurdity of the scene. The background is a turbulent sky filled with billowing clouds, illuminated by an ethereal light. Explosions of green and yellow bursts contrast against the deep blues and whites of the stormy atmosphere, suggesting either a fantastical storm or a celestial event beyond comprehension. These bursts appear almost alive, pulsing with energy, as if the air itself is charged with something both otherworldly and menacing. Floating around the woman are peculiar balloon-like creatures with insectoid features, resembling a hybrid between bees and toy animals. Their reflective, metallic surfaces catch the ambient light, giving them a futuristic, artificial quality. They seem to hover and swarm around her, their presence ambiguous—are they pursuing her, aiding her escape, or simply indifferent spectators in this surreal chase? The contrast between their playful, inflated forms and the ominous, stormy backdrop creates an unsettling tension, blurring the line between innocence and peril. The painting’s color palette is bold and dynamic, with vivid blues dominating the sky, punctuated by the explosive greens and yellows of the energy bursts. The warm orange of the inflatable rings provides a strong visual counterpoint, grounding the composition in a sense of balance amidst the chaos. The brushwork is masterful, blending realism in the rendering of the human form with an impressionistic touch in the clouds and atmospheric elements, allowing the viewer to feel both immersed and slightly disoriented in this fantastical world.

*** ABOUT THIS PAINTING ***
* TITLE: "Running from a thunderstorm"
* ARTISTS: Igor Konovalov
* SIZE: 120x180 cm/'47.24x70.86 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: He was born in 1965 in the city of Novy Bug.

1983—1987 — Dnipropetrovsk State Art School.

1987—1993 — Kyiv State Art Institute.

Since 1993, co-founder of the art commune "Squat on Olehivska Street", the activity of which has two periods:

1993—1996 — "classic squat" (occupation of premises for workshops and housing, exhibition activity, as a practice of introduction into society).

1996-2006 — "fictitious squat" (author of the project — Fiction Gallery Expedition. — going beyond workshops and galleries (institutions) into open urban space.

The founder of the Hill-art direction (art on the hills), within the framework of which actions were held and facilities were created on the hills of Kyiv.

2010-2020 - develops the author's mythology, which he called "Infodelica".

The creator of paintings, promotions, objects and video art.

Lives and works in Kyiv.

EXHIBITIONS

Personal exhibitions:

2020 - Recreation room, Kyiv History Museum, Kyiv

2019 - "Voices", CSM "Soviart", Kyiv

2018 - "Two Pages", Kyiv History Museum, Kyiv

2017 - "Point of support", CSM "Soviart", Kyiv

2016 – "Presidency", CSM "Soviart", Kyiv

2016 - "Relax", CSM "Soviart", Kyiv

2015 – "Wi-Fi", DTEK Academy, business center "Eurasia", Kyiv

2013 - "Infa&infadelika", 8-bit Gallery, Kyiv

2012 - "Infa", Gallery "Forest", Moscow, Russia

2011 - "Infa", RA Gallery, Kyiv

2010 – I. Konovalov, Museum of Sovr. image of Arts of Ukraine (MSIIU), Kyiv

2009 – "Golden Mountains", RA Gallery, Kyiv

2008 - Ctrl-Z, RA Gallery, Kyiv

Group exhibitions:

2020 – ART CAPITAL, Grand Palais, Paris. Salon Comparaisons, groupe Alain Campello

2017 - "Squat on Olehivska Street", Sumy Municipal Gallery, Sumy

2015 – Museum collections, Ukrainian modern art. (1985-2015)

2015 – "Coefficient of independence" (America House), Kyiv

2015 - "Art for the sake of life" - charity project, "Art Arsenal", Kyiv

2014 - The 21st figure art exhibition "MAN & WOMAN", At the Museum of New Art, Pärnu, Estonia

2012 - "Squat on Olehivska Street", M17 Center of Contemporary Art, Kyiv

2012 - Art-Moscow, 16th International Art Fair, Moscow, Russia

2011 - "Independents", New art of the new country 1991-2011, "Art Arsenal", Kyiv

2011 – "Space Odyssey-2011", "Art Arsenal", Kyiv

2010 - Art project "AUT" - international art project, Chocolate House, Kyiv

Press:

• Catalog for a personal exhibition: I. Konovalov, Museum of Modern Fine Arts of Ukraine (MSIIU), "Infa", "Forest" Gallery

• The book "Squat on Olehivska Street" (1993 - 2015), Kyiv

• Collection of the Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art 1985–2015 from private collections

25 years of presence. Modern Ukrainian artists. 1991-2016, Kyiv

• Collection of catalogs of participation in numerous exhibitions and auctions

Works are located:

• Dnipropetrovsk Art Museum

• Museum of Modern Fine Arts of Ukraine (MSIIU)

• Kyiv History Museum

• In private meetings: Boris and Tetyana Hrynievych, Igor Voronov, Igor Abramovich, Oleg Krasnosilskyi, Volodymyr Kashirskyi, and others.