Article in the magazine "Fine Arts"

Olena Biletska,

Artist's Wife

VOLODYMYR CHORNYI'S SUN FLOWERS

"...This landscape, with its drooping, blackened sunflowers, strongly reminds me of the situation with people at war. We are all born as sun flowers, but war turns everyone into rough, bowed sunflowers. Yet they contain a seed that is meant to sprout with new ideas, impulses, plans, actions," wrote Volodymyr Chornyi, pseudonym "Kara," in the trenches "at ground zero," between us and the enemy in February of last year. Even in the dugouts, the artist remained a creator, saving his mind amidst destruction and death by photographing flowers and animals, writing stories, and making plans for "after the war": finishing illustrations for Lewis Carroll; creating a series of compositions called "The Meaning of Being," stylized after Japanese tsuba (sword guards); ancient Slavic mythology… These plans will never be realized. On May 9, 2023, the artist died in battle with Russian occupiers near the village of Balka Zuravka in the Luhansk region.

Volodymyr Anatoliyovych Chornyi was born on March 27, 1976, in Kropyvnytskyi. From childhood, he dreamed of becoming an artist or a traveling biologist. In 1994, he graduated from Specialized Vocational School No. 8 with a degree in artistic design. He then received his professional education at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, in the studio of easel graphics under Professor A. Chebykin. During his studies, and throughout his life, Chornyi imbued his paintings with deep philosophical meanings, cultural and historical foundations, and sometimes jokes.

After graduating from the academy, Volodymyr chose the profession of a film set decorator. His skilled hands and creative self-expression shaped the atmospheres of films ("Pamfir," "Iron Butterflies," "The Gateway," "Our Kittens," "Devoted," "Ether," "SHTTL"). He worked as a production designer and set decorator for music videos for bands like "Okean Elzy," "DREZDEN," "Sonya Kay," "TNMK," and others, as well as for advertisements for Apple AirPods, Renault, etc. He wrote stories about life at the front and sent them to friends to convey what it was like for an artist at war.

After Volodymyr's death, his friends Taras Kovach, Serhiy Sabakar, Volodymyr Lyubyi, Ivan Mykhailov, Ihor Tsykura, Roman Lyubyi, Oleh Baklazhov, his wife Olena Biletska, and others organized a solo exhibition at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture.

A close friend of the artist-soldier and curator of V. Chornyi's exhibition, Taras Kovach, states: "The main idea of the exhibition, which we chose as a team, was to show the entire process of Vovchyk's creativity. His works were stored in Volodymyr Lyubyi's workshop. When we started looking through them, we found many prints, drawings, academic setups, and anatomical drawings. So the idea arose to first and foremost show the process of the artist's formation, of a person as an artist, how a creator generally thinks. This process, in our opinion, became the most interesting. How he arrived at his designs, final ideas, series, cycles, works. There were many sketches, and we decided to start from them, from his designs, where the most lively manner of drawing, composition modeling, its formation, and the author's train of thought are preserved. And this, we believed, was the most interesting aspect: how exactly he approached his creativity. We emphasized his thoughts and the themes he worked with.

"We wanted the entrance to be 'white on white.' To display his stories, texts, what he had been working on recently – such poetic, evocative texts – on white sheets. So that it would be a minimalist, strict visual sequence, allowing visitors to pause and reflect. We wanted you to enter the hall and find the entire working process presented interactively. On the front wall, clearly composed text on individual sheets of the same format. This was his narrative."

It should be noted that these stories by Volodymyr Chornyi are from the performance "Kara is Silent," which was first shown at the Ukrainian House as part of the "How Are You?" exhibition.

The curators also decided to display copper plates and clichés separately (for understanding the process). That is, the exhibition was intended to reveal the moment of creativity over the compositions, the stages of creating these prints. After all, he primarily worked in printmaking techniques, dedicating much attention to printing and etching. And these plates themselves are, in fact, self-sufficient works. An important part of the exposition was the tables, on which both clichés and sketches were displayed, so that people could engage with the process, pick up and examine the etching technique, and then see the finished prints of the forms in the works, and various combinations. Since Chornyi worked extensively in modular etching, some parts are repeated in different works. And, of course, the paintings themselves on the walls formed the main body of the exposition.

Also, Volodia Lyubyi came up with the idea of recreating Vovchyk's workbench, because we found many objects he had drawn, etching proofs, and some pencil notes in his folders. We wanted to show his thought process, certain doubts, decision-making, so that through the exhibition his personality as a thinking, experimenting, doubting, resolving artist would be generally felt. To show not cold exhibition solutions, but on the contrary, to reveal him as alive, so that visitors would feel his inner energy. Because he was a communicative, lively person, loved to communicate, loved people, loved life…

An exposition of photographs from film sets was also created, since he worked extensively in cinema. That is, they showed finished teasers, music videos in which Chornyi participated as a set decorator, and also a section of the wall – the filming process itself, preparations for a film, for commercials. This is also a living process of creating a cinematic product. And, in principle, all the ideas of the exhibition were to show his train of thought, him as a living person. There is an exposition of finished works, but it is very interesting to draw attention precisely to this process of deliberation. This resulted in a fundamental element that unites virtually all of Volodia's series, all his compositions.

During the exhibition at NAOMA, the curators organized a cinema hall. They screened the films "Iron Butterflies" and "Pamfir," works on which Volodymyr Chornyi had worked.

His friend and one of the exhibition organizers, Ivan Mykhailov, the main artist for the film "Pamfir," will tell us more about the work of a set decorator: "There's a concept of a Renaissance artist. Volodia was a Renaissance artist. He was self-made, he came to art on his own. He constantly read and was interested in everything: from biology, geography, history, art history, engineering, to the structure of the Universe, and so on. He had a large library and was knowledgeable in various fields of culture and the world in general. For a film set decorator, this is very important, because everything he did, he did thoughtfully. For example, the task of building a certain structure for a film. Chornyi would think it through, read, find materials, and work as an artist in the broad sense. He put all his creativity and effort into his work and loved it very much. For example, in the film 'Pamfir,' where he worked in our team of artists, most of the textures: the color of the walls, the color of the props, the color harmony that had to correspond to the artistic vision of the film – all of this was essentially done by Volodia. We developed it together, and Volodia executed it with his hands: painting, fabrication, and creating complex textures that are very important in cinema, which would match the character's mood. For instance, the house where a character lives.

"Volodia and I worked on several projects. For example, there was Krzysztof Zanussi's historical project 'Ether' – a historical-mystical drama. We worked together there as decorators and made World War I trenches near Lviv and also decorated Svirzh Castle. We did a lot of research, read extensively, and recreated an interesting set.

"It was always fun with Volodia, especially on business trips. We spent almost three months in the Carpathians preparing for 'Pamfir,' constantly moving from one village to another and figuring out how to do everything.

"First, the production designer, together with the director and cinematographers, develops a certain concept. Sketches are made. Then they choose the location where everything will be filmed. Then the production designer, together with their team: decorators, builders, recreate all of this on site. There's a lot of improvisation in the process. It's a profession where, as the Hutsuls used to say: 'We know you, production designers. Today you say – square, and tomorrow you'll say – round.' Everything starts with sketches, but in the preparation process itself, there's a lot of improvisation and creativity.

"

When Volodia worked as an assistant production designer, he helped develop sketches as a second artist.

"We opened the 'Pamfir' museum in Pyrohiv, where there are many photos of Volodia from the set. Sketches for this film are preserved there, along with many props: masks, costumes. All of this can be seen in the hata-hrazhda, which is called 'Pamfir's House.'"

Let's examine the artist's paintings in more detail. A frequent subject of his works was human essence, the psychology of relationships, the matter of being, as seen in the composition "The Dance of Life." This etching, consisting of four paintings united in a series, tells the story of the stages of relationship development between a man and a woman. The images in the exhibition were deliberately hung at random, as the author left no titles or sequence for the works, but this allows for personal interpretation and engages the viewer in the process of creating meaning. Below is the story formed by most viewers at the artist's posthumous solo exhibition at NAOMA. This was an artistic experiment in searching for meanings and deciphering the storyline.

The first image speaks of love, closeness, a strong connection. The metaphorical fabric of the relationship is tied in a knot, one leg wraps around the other. They are warm, close, and comfortable together.

The second painting is about a connection that begins to restrict. The girl has turned away from her beloved; she is uncomfortable and sad, her hands entangled in the very fabric that once enveloped them. The bird is caught, and the fowler holding it on a leash – he, the only one. The young man is also uncomfortable, deep in thought, yet still holding the restraints firmly.

The next scene is about liberation from limitations. The fabric of the relationship is taut – two beings are caught in a struggle. Their hands are eloquent in gestures of resistance and an attempt to dominate.

The last image depicts calm, almost indifference. Faces are furrowed with wrinkles, a long journey behind them, hinted at by the aged background of the painting. Once so close, the lovers are now turned away from each other. The man makes an eloquent gesture with his hand; he no longer holds the bonds, as if saying: "I let go, I don't care." The lady thoughtfully holds the fabric in her hand. To discard or to keep? This is the drama of loves that, after a long journey together, stand before a choice: habit or rupture?

The next composition, "A Human's Dream," speaks of the clash of two worlds, two civilizations: one older and more archaic, the other strong and young. The subject is stylized after images on Japanese tsuba. The upper part of the painting depicts nomadic peoples; on the left, it speaks of the warrior people, with a shield visible. On the right is a metaphorical idol of the beliefs of an old civilization. It is fragile and brittle, like a framework, a dried skeleton. Most likely, there is a culture of worshiping the dead, evidenced by a necklace of human skulls and a figure at the foot, bowed in prayer and submission. The figure on the left resembles the Zbruch Idol, a hint at the Scythian people, also suggested by the cow curled up at its feet.

The lower part is also a very eloquent hint at the Scythian Pectoral, with its animal motif.

V. Chornyi's subsequent paintings exemplify the breadth of meaning that can be achieved through prints. Both paintings depict the ancient Slavic goddess of sorrow, Zhelia. Here, there is a gentle sadness. Time has passed, and only a bright memory remains for the fallen souls.

The form is the same, but observe the drama achieved through color combinations. The last crimson flame illuminates the crosses; it is about to inexorably extinguish with a ghostly hope.

As the day ends, an relentless night approaches, a metaphor for the end of life. The sun will still set, life will fade. Here, grief is in all its peak experience; it has just happened, it is still lingering, oppressively heavy.

The theme of the Holodomor is always painful for our people. Especially now, as Russia tries to plunge Ukraine back into the terrible times of the 1932-1933 famine.

Dominating the entire composition is the symbol of the Soviet Union – the red star. Its facets slice through the life of a woman who submits and dies. In the background are a dispossessed family, industrialization, collectivization.

The painting is out of focus, except for the upper right corner, a "cell" with a faceless man and woman couple.

All focus is on them – "the family is the cell of society"; they are faceless, clear – just a function, but even their heads are "cut off." Mutilated destinies and grain above, "The Law of Five Ears of Grain," red with the blood of the Ukrainian village.

A painting close to my heart is "Friends – Time Thieves." It's about one of Vovchyk's favorite activities – conversations with friends. Chornyi was an educated person with encyclopedic knowledge in many areas, and his friends were accordingly chosen – equally intelligent people. They often gathered for tea, perhaps a little alcohol, and engaged in long discussions about the Universe, beauty, history, Cossacks, freedom, the hind legs of a toad, various discourses. These were searches for meanings, philosophies of views, and the senses of being. The etching is precisely about this – about searches, differences in views, yet finding common ground in some respects.

Another question that resonated at the exhibition was: "Why did he go? He should have fought on another front, an artistic one, he's so talented..." But, firstly, there are no other fronts; we have only one, and it is currently being held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And secondly, he couldn't have done otherwise; he went as a volunteer, he was one of those who take responsibility, who cannot tolerate injustice, abuse, and the destruction of Ukraine. He was one who would defend it even at the cost of his life, protecting his relatives, friends, Ukrainians, our home from the Russian invaders.

Sunflowers will no longer exist for Chornyi, but his friends and family continue his memory; his thought, his vision live on. A student who visited the exhibition added elements of the artist's stories to his own painting. Three exhibitions of Volodymyr's work are already planned, one of which will be in the Hero's homeland, Kropyvnytskyi region, and there are also plans to publish his book of stories "from ground zero."

"A white sheet of snow, like a clean sheet of paper, on which, like calligraphic flourishes, we move, fuss, write being. Everyone, passing through the crucible of war, like firewood and coal entering the whirlpool of events, emerges changed – as ashes and smoke."