2019 Eurasia Adventure - Kyiv, Some Artwork

One of the unexpected pleasures of our first day in Kyiv was an art exhibition in one of the buildings of the St. Sophia's complex. Because I took so many pictures and even with massive editing and purging still had tons, I decided to put these in a separate post.

I mentioned in my last post about how later Orthodox Christian art becomes very stylized with very little emotion or originality in the faces and eyes of all the Saints and other figures being represented

But at this exhibition, there were some notable exceptions

Ever since the eye-opening experience in Florence, I have looked for the 'unusual figure' in complex art scenes

Here was one

This one character seems so out of place from the general deadpan tone of not just his but most later Orthodox art

Was this some one the artist knew and disliked intensely to capture his sadistic joy forever on canvas?

Here was another example

All focused on Christ except

And this one who seems totally bored!

Then there was an exhibit of modern art

All the signs were in Ukrainian so not much we could do to understand it

Finally there was an exhibit of Ukrainian tile making...particularly stoves and fire places

These all date from the late 19th century

Even a representation of Hagia Sophia!