Original artwork description:

Zakhar Shevchuk’s Riders in the Night (2024, oil on canvas, 60x55 cm) begins with a horse – but not a complete one. Only part of the animal emerges from textured layers of paint, rendered in earthy browns and silvery greys. Its incomplete form immediately sets a tone of mystery.

The deeper intrigue comes from the riders. There are two figures mounted on the horse: a dark, solid silhouette and, leaning just behind it, a pale figure, almost spectral, dissolving into light. This discovery transforms the painting. What first seemed like a straightforward subject becomes a layered meditation on duality.

The contrast between the riders suggests multiple readings. They may be companions, opposites in balance, or symbolic halves of the same being – strength and fragility, conscious and subconscious. Shevchuk leaves the interpretation open, allowing viewers to project their own meaning onto the work.

Executed with expressive texture and painterly intensity, Riders in the Night is a painting that thrives on close attention. It is a figurative canvas that reveals more the longer one looks, making it a compelling choice for collectors drawn to mystery and layered storytelling.

Materials used:

Oil

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