Original artwork description:

Bathing in Darkness is a contemplative, fluid painting in which a female figure emerges from sweeping layers of blue and white. Zakhar Shevchuk approaches the subject through an abstract-figurative vocabulary, allowing form to reveal itself gradually rather than through precise contours. The figure appears to stand beneath cascading water, yet the scene is transformed into an atmospheric field of gesture and motion. The softness of the brushwork and the restrained palette create an emotional space that feels both intimate and expansive.

As the eye moves across the surface, the body seems to drift in and out of visibility. This ambiguity reflects Shevchuk’s ongoing exploration of conditional perception – how identity and presence shift depending on light, movement, and internal states. The water becomes a metaphor for transition, dissolving the boundaries between the figure and her surroundings. The painting resonates with a sense of vulnerability, but also with the quiet strength that emerges in moments of solitude and reflection.

Through its expressive texture and poetic abstraction, Bathing in Darkness transforms a simple daily ritual into a universal meditation on stillness, renewal, and the elusive nature of self-awareness. The work invites slow, thoughtful viewing, allowing the viewer to inhabit the emotional space it opens. This intimate yet powerful composition stands as a strong example of Shevchuk’s contemporary approach to figurative abstraction.

Materials used:

Acrylic

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