Original artwork description:

In The Laughing Heretic, Ukrainian artist Igor Galan presents a powerfully expressive portrayal of a monk caught in a moment of unsettling euphoria. The artwork takes its cue from Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, specifically its critique of dogma, laughter, and forbidden knowledge. With emotionally raw brushwork and dramatic chiaroscuro, Galan draws viewers into the complex psyche of a figure who may be saint or lunatic – or both.

This 40x60 cm oil painting on canvas is an invitation to contemplate the thin boundaries between truth and ideology, devotion and delusion. Galan’s painterly approach combines realism with emotional distortion, adding a contemporary layer to medieval motifs. Behind the central figure, blurred silhouettes of clerics reinforce the atmosphere of suspicion and control. The monk’s ecstatic expression stands as an act of resistance – his joy as dangerous as a heretical text.

Materials used:

Oil

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