Wonderful art and poetry. We need to share more of this beauty to help us through difficult times. I’m sharing this with my oldest who spent a summer traveling in Eastern Europe. She’ll love this. Thank you.
Love all of them (not something I usually say about paintings!) but Spring in Kyiv's Kurenivka District by Abram Manevich really struck a chord with me.
I love this painting, too! Abram Manevich was born in Belarus and moved to Ukraine in his 20s, where he studied to become an artist. He was one of the founders and the first professors of the National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture in Kyiv. He moved to the U.S. later in life. I find his connection to Belarus, Ukraine, and the U.S. very relatable.
Every painting so full of hope. I particularly liked the two from the Kyiv botanical garden. I can just smell those lilacs. One fine spring I would like to visit there. Your poem struck a chord, thanks for making this moment brighter and better.
Thank you for your kind words, Meeri! The Kyiv Botanical Garden is such a beautiful place when the lilacs are in bloom. I found a video that shows how the lilacs from the paintings look in real life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3DGda6fq4&ab_channel=FLYUA
I agree! There is the same spring ritual in Belarus, and when I was growing up, kids could officially take a break from school to plant potatoes :) It was a valid excuse to miss school. The same was true in the fall when it was time to gather the harvest.
Both of the lilac ones, hands down. Absolutely stunning! I'm getting caught on your posts and I so needed this one today. Hope is its own power. Beauty too.
Wow those are beautiful. I love the tradition of painting flowers on the walls of houses inside and outside. It is so uplifting to see such pride in where one lives and to share that with any passerby.
Thank you for sharing such beauty: your poem, the stork couple and the wonderful paintings by Ukrainian artists made my heart swell with hope!
Through the darkest times, Ukrainian artists kept shining a light through their paintings, poetry, and music and your role in bringing their work to the forefront is such an important act of resistance.
My favourite painting is Lilac Blooming in the Botanical Garden by Volodymyr Sydoruk. I love the way the colours of the lilac trees bleed into the sky and the horizon until you can barely distinguish where one ends and the other begins.
Thank you, Theodora! When there is so much grief every day, hope is the only way to hold on. I love this painting, too! Lilacs indeed blend into the sky, so beautiful!
I love your poem, the storks and ALL of the paintings, but i think that there is something magical about "Spring Troubles"! I feel guilty that the lilacs are not #1 as they are one of my absolute favorite plants. Is there a book you would recommend for paintings by Ukrainian artists? Such talent! Thank you!
So hard to decide which painting is my favorite. They are all beautiful. Spring” by Konstantyn Kryzhytsky drew me in first. I also love “Kyiv flower girl” by Mykola Pymonenko. FYI if anyone is having trouble seeing the stork couple, there is a comment on the video that explains that you have to go to the main page of the channel and view it from there. https://www.youtube.com/@lelekagricko
Thank you, Sonia! I agree, it’s so hard to choose!
Thank you for bringing my attention to the issue with the link to the stork’s nest. I changed it to the link to the YouTube channel instead of the live broadcast. It turns out that broadcast videos can only be 12 hours long due to technical limitations, and when Russians attack power plants, the video stops as well. So it’s better to watch it from the main page of the channel.
Wonderful art and poetry. We need to share more of this beauty to help us through difficult times. I’m sharing this with my oldest who spent a summer traveling in Eastern Europe. She’ll love this. Thank you.
Thank you, Valerie!
Love all of them (not something I usually say about paintings!) but Spring in Kyiv's Kurenivka District by Abram Manevich really struck a chord with me.
I love this painting, too! Abram Manevich was born in Belarus and moved to Ukraine in his 20s, where he studied to become an artist. He was one of the founders and the first professors of the National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture in Kyiv. He moved to the U.S. later in life. I find his connection to Belarus, Ukraine, and the U.S. very relatable.
Terrific selection of art — incredibly uplifting. Thank you!
Thank you, Mario!
Every painting so full of hope. I particularly liked the two from the Kyiv botanical garden. I can just smell those lilacs. One fine spring I would like to visit there. Your poem struck a chord, thanks for making this moment brighter and better.
Thank you for your kind words, Meeri! The Kyiv Botanical Garden is such a beautiful place when the lilacs are in bloom. I found a video that shows how the lilacs from the paintings look in real life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3DGda6fq4&ab_channel=FLYUA
Hard to choose but “Spring Troubles” by Viktor Zaretsky is really cool.
I agree! There is the same spring ritual in Belarus, and when I was growing up, kids could officially take a break from school to plant potatoes :) It was a valid excuse to miss school. The same was true in the fall when it was time to gather the harvest.
As long as there's hope, life still lives in the outbreak of Spring -
love surrenders... dear Darya!
🌞❤️🌸🌸🌸
❤️
Both of the lilac ones, hands down. Absolutely stunning! I'm getting caught on your posts and I so needed this one today. Hope is its own power. Beauty too.
I love them, too! I agree, hope and beauty give us energy to go through difficult times ❤️🩹
Wow those are beautiful. I love the tradition of painting flowers on the walls of houses inside and outside. It is so uplifting to see such pride in where one lives and to share that with any passerby.
Thank you! Yes, I love this tradition, too!
I love Shakespeare’s sonnet 65 on the power of writing and the preservation of beauty
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
But sad mortality o’er-sways their power,
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days,
When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays?
O fearful meditation! where, alack,
Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid?
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
O, none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful. Thank you. 🙏
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing such beauty: your poem, the stork couple and the wonderful paintings by Ukrainian artists made my heart swell with hope!
Through the darkest times, Ukrainian artists kept shining a light through their paintings, poetry, and music and your role in bringing their work to the forefront is such an important act of resistance.
My favourite painting is Lilac Blooming in the Botanical Garden by Volodymyr Sydoruk. I love the way the colours of the lilac trees bleed into the sky and the horizon until you can barely distinguish where one ends and the other begins.
Thank you, Theodora! When there is so much grief every day, hope is the only way to hold on. I love this painting, too! Lilacs indeed blend into the sky, so beautiful!
I love your poem, the storks and ALL of the paintings, but i think that there is something magical about "Spring Troubles"! I feel guilty that the lilacs are not #1 as they are one of my absolute favorite plants. Is there a book you would recommend for paintings by Ukrainian artists? Such talent! Thank you!
Thank you, Anne! I would recommend this book about Ukrainian artists: https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/the-art-of-ukraine-softcover
Many nice paintings. I like "By the Dnieper", the wide river that flows to the south, in the middle of Ukraine.
Also the white storks are nice.
As well as your poetry.
Thank you, André! This painting really captures the atmosphere of the early spring!
"Spring" by Kryzhytsky is my favorite. It reminds me of spring where I live.
Thank you for sharing these: the storks, and your poem. All of them are wonderful. 😊
Thank you, Jeremy! I love this painting, too!
So hard to decide which painting is my favorite. They are all beautiful. Spring” by Konstantyn Kryzhytsky drew me in first. I also love “Kyiv flower girl” by Mykola Pymonenko. FYI if anyone is having trouble seeing the stork couple, there is a comment on the video that explains that you have to go to the main page of the channel and view it from there. https://www.youtube.com/@lelekagricko
Thank you, Sonia! I agree, it’s so hard to choose!
Thank you for bringing my attention to the issue with the link to the stork’s nest. I changed it to the link to the YouTube channel instead of the live broadcast. It turns out that broadcast videos can only be 12 hours long due to technical limitations, and when Russians attack power plants, the video stops as well. So it’s better to watch it from the main page of the channel.