- Zakhar Shevchuk
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- It Was a Cold Winter
It Was a Cold Winter (2026) Original Acrylic Painting by Zakhar Shevchuk
200 x 150 x 2cm (unframed)
£6,670.95
Original artwork description
It Was a Cold Winter (2026) is a large-scale painting by Zakhar Shevchuk that explores the intersection of observation, subtle transformation, and material response. The composition is built around a familiar figure within the artist’s recent work – a horse – presented here in an unexpected context, dressed in a voluminous winter jacket. This simple intervention shifts the image away from pure representation, introducing a quiet tension between the natural and the constructed.
The work leaves space for multiple readings. At first, it may appear almost playful, yet the longer one looks, the more the image begins to operate as a reflection on adaptation and presence within changing conditions. The garment suggests protection, but also interference, creating a balance between necessity and distortion. The horse remains calm and grounded, allowing the image to hold both lightness and a more contemplative undertone without resolving into a single narrative.
The painting was created during a period of winter blackouts in Ukraine, caused by ongoing war and attacks on energy infrastructure. Working in low temperatures, the artist observed how the material itself began to behave differently – paint occasionally dripping before it could fully settle. Rather than correcting these moments, they were allowed to remain, becoming part of the surface. These subtle traces connect the image to the conditions of its making without dominating its visual presence.
Materials used:
Acrylic
Details:
- Acrylic painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 200 x 150 x 2cm (unframed)
- Signed certificate of authenticity
- Style: Expressive and gestural
- Subject: Animals and birds
Tags:
#contemporary figurative#winter atmosphere#emotional realism#visual metaphor#symbolic figure#adaptation theme#quiet irony#modern narrative#subtle surrealism#horse symbolism
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Original artwork description
It Was a Cold Winter (2026) is a large-scale painting by Zakhar Shevchuk that explores the intersection of observation, subtle transformation, and material response. The composition is built around a familiar figure within the artist’s recent work – a horse – presented here in an unexpected context, dressed in a voluminous winter jacket. This simple intervention shifts the image away from pure representation, introducing a quiet tension between the natural and the constructed.
The work leaves space for multiple readings. At first, it may appear almost playful, yet the longer one looks, the more the image begins to operate as a reflection on adaptation and presence within changing conditions. The garment suggests protection, but also interference, creating a balance between necessity and distortion. The horse remains calm and grounded, allowing the image to hold both lightness and a more contemplative undertone without resolving into a single narrative.
The painting was created during a period of winter blackouts in Ukraine, caused by ongoing war and attacks on energy infrastructure. Working in low temperatures, the artist observed how the material itself began to behave differently – paint occasionally dripping before it could fully settle. Rather than correcting these moments, they were allowed to remain, becoming part of the surface. These subtle traces connect the image to the conditions of its making without dominating its visual presence.
Materials used:
Acrylic
Details:
- Acrylic painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 200 x 150 x 2cm (unframed)
- Signed certificate of authenticity
- Style: Expressive and gestural
- Subject: Animals and birds
Tags:
#contemporary figurative#winter atmosphere#emotional realism#visual metaphor#symbolic figure#adaptation theme#quiet irony#modern narrative#subtle surrealism#horse symbolism
Zakhar Shevchuk
Ukraine
About
Artist Statement:Art, to me, is a profound exploration of the world that surrounds us—a journey of discovery, experience, and self-understanding. It is a medium through which I unravel the essence... Read more