Original artwork description:

Description of the Painting: "In March" (2023) by Vyacheslav Onyshchenko

Painted en plein air in Chernihiv, Ukraine, during the spring of 2023, "In March" is a vivid and textured oil painting by Ukrainian artist Vyacheslav Onyshchenko. Executed on a 90 x 75 cm canvas stretched over a wooden stretcher, the work captures the fragile, luminous moment of spring — when winter has just loosened its grip and nature begins to pulse with renewal.

Composition and Scene:
The viewer is placed on the edge of a quiet parkland, looking through a sparse stand of birch trees. These birches, with their characteristic white bark marked by dark knots and streaks, stretch vertically across the composition and provide a rhythmic, almost musical structure. The branches are just beginning to show fresh spring leaves, rendered in light green and yellow strokes that shimmer against the sky.

In the middle ground, behind the trees, we see a collection of houses and rooftops — modest structures in tones of muted violet, green, and red-brown — partially veiled by the vegetation. Behind them, a taller apartment building painted in cool cyan hues rises, hinting at the blend of old and new architectural layers within Chernihiv.

The foreground is flooded with early spring light. The ground is a tapestry of rich greens, cool shadows, and warm sunlit patches, with streaks of purples and yellows. A small river Stryzhen cuts a subtle path across the lawn, reflecting the colors of the surroundings and adding a dynamic contour to the terrain.

Artistic Characteristics:

Medium: Oil on canvas
Technique: Painted from life (en plein air)
Brushwork: Bold and gestural, yet controlled — with a distinct impressionistic energy
Palette: Bright spring greens, cool blues, warm ochres, purples, and whites
Light: Natural sunlight permeates the scene, casting soft shadows and illuminating the birch bark and foliage with a vibrant clarity

Atmosphere and Mood:
“In March” evokes the transitional character of early spring. The composition is alive with the promise of growth, yet retains the cool undertone of the season’s recent winter past. The birches — symbols of resilience and renewal — serve as silent sentinels witnessing the yearly rebirth of the land.

The painting's balance of natural beauty and residential calm makes it both intimate and universal, celebrating a fleeting but deeply felt seasonal moment. It is a testament to Onyshchenko’s ability to capture atmosphere, light, and local color with lyrical expressiveness and plein air vitality.

Materials used:

oil on canvas

Tags:

#landscape #painting #green #trees #spring #buildings #park #impressionism #impressionistic #birches #plein air #pleainair