Oil painting The taste of life Nestor Kizenko

№AAA5155

The oil painting on Canvas titled "The Taste of Life" is a poignant homage to the richness found in the everyday — a still life composition that resonates with warmth, harvest, and humble abundance. The scene unfolds across a soft, draped surface of muted lavender tones, where the background fabric sets a gentle rhythm of folds and shadows, evoking an almost theatrical setting for the fruits and vegetables to take center stage. The entire tableau hums with quiet harmony, as if the artist sought to capture not just the objects themselves but also the memories and emotions they carry. At the heart of the composition lies a straw basket, its texture rendered with delicate precision. Its handle curves upwards, anchoring the viewer’s eye while simultaneously suggesting movement — a basket that may have just been set down after a visit to the local market. From its mouth spills a bounty of produce: large onions cascading in a golden-brown string, their translucent layers glowing softly against the woven background. These onions, like silent witnesses to countless meals, add a rustic sincerity to the painting. In front of the basket rests a large green cabbage, painted with a realistic touch that captures both its weight and fragility. The painter has paid careful attention to the hues — pale greens touched with earthier shadows — to evoke the sense of a fresh harvest just brought in from the field. Near it, a cluster of cucumbers and what appears to be a zucchini or small squash lie casually, their smooth, glossy skins contrasting beautifully with the matte surfaces around them. To the right, a bold cluster of red viburnum berries spills out, their intense color a focal point that enlivens the entire painting. Accompanied by green leaves, this burst of scarlet feels almost celebratory, like nature’s confetti tossed across the canvas. It radiates both visual and emotional warmth — perhaps evoking memories of autumn, of preservation rituals, or of family gatherings centered around seasonal bounty.

*** ABOUT THIS PAINTING ***
* TITLE: "The taste of life"
* ARTISTS: Nestor Mytrofanovich Kizenko
* SIZE: 54x84 cm/'21.25x33.07 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: Nestor Kizenko was born in 1926 on the Bizh farm near the village of Khoruzhivka, Nedryhaylivka district, Sumy region, in the family of a rural blacksmith. The artist was born in a difficult historical era - he knew poverty, was a sheep herder, and had the opportunity to receive only 4 grades of education. During the war years, he had to do forced labor in Germany. After that, he served in the army for a long time - in Bulgaria and in the Caucasus. In Tbilisi, while serving in the armed forces, he was a student of the art course at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, where he received the basics of art education from Vasyl Shukhaev. In 1956, he returned to his homeland with his family, settling in the city of Nedryhayliv. He worked in the district house of culture, where he taught children to draw, and devoted all his free time to painting. He exhibited his paintings during various folk holidays and folklore festivals. In 1969, the artist became a laureate of the Sumy Regional Prize named after Pylyp Rud. In 2000, as a People's Master, he was elected a member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine. His paintings were exhibited at an exhibition in Santa Barbara (California, USA) in 2001. Anniversary personal exhibitions of the artist's works were held in 2006 in Nedryhaylov, Romny, and the exhibition hall of the Ivan Honchar Museum in Kyiv, where 44 of his paintings from private collections were presented. The master's paintings are kept in museums of Ukraine and private collections in Canada, Great Britain, Ukraine, the USA, and Germany. In July 2012, the Nestor Kizenko Competition was held in Nedryhaylov, which was initiated to perpetuate the memory of the outstanding artist and support young talents in modern Ukrainian fine arts.