The Dream (2018) Original Oil Painting by Zakhar Shevchuk

A familiar form appears, holds the eye for a moment, and disappears into colour. That shifting experience of recognition gives The Dream its particular energy. Suggestions of faces, bodies and gestures emerge throughout the painted surface, but none offers a final way of reading the whole.

The underlying subject is the relationship between a leader and a crowd. The leader stands apart on the left, with dark space around it; those being guided gather in the more densely painted right-hand field. Shared colours link the two sides, leaving their relationship open to interpretation.

This is a substantial work to encounter in person. Its three-metre width allows the composition to unfold across the viewer’s field of vision, while closer inspection reveals individual strokes and unexpected connections between shapes. Turquoise, green and warmer accents give the canvas a luminous presence against its deep dark passages.

An example of Zakhar Shevchuk’s earlier abstraction, the painting rewards returning to it: what first seemed recognisable may become uncertain, and another form may take its place.

Materials used:

Oil

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 300 x 180 x 2cm (unframed)
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: Abstract and non-figurative