Currently an exhibition of the married couple of artists Olena Pryduvaloava (http://www.pryduvalova.com/eng/artist.php) and Olexiy Apollonov (http://www.apollonov.com/eng/about.php) took place in Kiev (August 26 – September 8, 2010). The Ducat Gallery which is located in the downtown of the capital at the European Square housed this absolutely exclusive and noteworthy exhibition. With the exhibition The Ducat Gallery starts a series of the exhibitions of the married couples of artists. And it is an absolute good luck of the Gallery that the series was started with this very exceptional exposition.

I am a long term admirer of both Olena and Olexiy and very attentively follow their progress and obvious growth as artists. But each time, with each new exhibition it seems to me (and I am not the only one) that both of them have reached the uppermost possible artistic accomplishment. Yet, when attending a new exhibition we realize that the skills, the talents of these wonderful artists are unfathomable. Each time we witness that the ideas, the concepts, and the way they present them to the public are infinite. They say there are no new issues, nothing new can be told anymore. But the ways these two persons express themselves and convey their messages to us are really special.

The latest exposition presented twenty-four big size paintings of by Olena Pryduvaloava of the industrial winter Kiev and nineteen expressive paintings of the nudes by Olexiy Apollonov. While Olexiy’s works are recognizable regarding the manner, the stroke of his brush, and even the colors, Olena’s pieces of art have presented to us an ultimately new artist, dramatic, even tragic. We are used to her mythologized images of the city, its architecture, d;cor, its parks, gardens, fountains, saints and angels. Even if we remember some of Olena’s old works of the winter Kiev, there we could see the hills and streets covered with snow. Not much details. No blow ups. But this time we see an absolutely naked, striped off of its flesh skeleton, bones of the industrial city, dearly loved yet raped by cold winter, snow and machinery. The professional skills of the artist conveying to us the tragedy of the city are incomparable. In this short note there is no need for more detailed analysis. I am not an art historian. I just invite you to see the pictures.

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