Roman Bonchuk
b. Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, 1980
y. active 2000 - present
The Temple of Spirit, Heroism, and Freedom
watercolor on paper, 17.7 x 30 in
Created on May 11, 2022
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See all of the works in the exhibit HERE
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At the time of painting. the artist was in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine. He did not have to flee and continued to work in his studio.
$1,000
All proceeds go to help artists in Ukraine and to foster US-Ukraine cultural ties and cooperation. Please use Contact Form or see restaurant staff if you are interested in purchasing.
Roman took basic and academic training in painting for eight years. Having the act of painting down he is able to express himself with ease and produce art that narrates modern events, often using known symbols as a channel. Roman’s true passion; however, are large works and particularly murals. He has already set a personal record by painting a work that is 100 feet in length, and already planning the next one that will be 160 feet.
The painting shows Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, the last point of resistance of the Ukrainian Army in the city of Mariupol. Roman shows the factory as a temple that grows out of the ground. The structures of the steel plant are intertwined with the columns and walls of the temple making it solid and impenetrable. The image invites parallels with the medieval churches and monasteries that were regularly used as fortresses during an enemy invasion and were rarely taken by force. Azovstal was not taken by force either. The soldiers negotiated a surrender and safe passage out of the facility in order to save civilians that were with them, from hunger and constant shelling by the Russian troops.