Lilac

Kiriak Konstantinovich Kostandi was a prominent Ukrainian painter and an art scholar. He was a member of the Russian realist artistic movement Peredvizhniki (literally, Itinerants) and also created several Impressionist paintings. Most of Kostandi's life and work is related to the city of Odessa where he lived most of his life; he was even the director of the local museum. Adhering to a strictly Realist style, he devoted himself to genre painting, but did some landscape painting and portrait painting as well.

We are not sure why the character depicted in the painting is sobbing but we can imagine that such a scene may happen in Ukraine now. Exactly a year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed by the Russians. It sparked Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. It is unbelievable that such a thing happened in the 21st Century, and it continues.

On this day, we would like to show our support to the brave Ukrainians fighting for their freedom; if you would like to show your support too, please consider donating to some charity helping Ukraine. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) supporting refugees from Ukraine, is a good option. 

P.S. Discover our Ukraine Special series that was created a year ago in humble efforts to shed more light on Ukrainian art and culture.