Contemporary artists Anatoliy Kryvolap and Ihor Stupachenko worked on the paintings.
In the ancient village of Lypivka, Makariv district, Kyiv region, on the site of the Intercession Church, which was destroyed by the Soviet authorities, a new church with the same dedication was built with the patronage of Bohdan Batruh – the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.
To create murals in the church, modern authors were invited – the outstanding painter Anatoliy Kryvolap and the monumentalist Igor Stupachenko.
Ihor Stupachenko invented new technologies, created traditional compositions, preparing a stage set for the visual filling of the temple. Anatoliy Kryvolap took responsibility for the emotional content and color solutions, for a modern look and reaction to the old testaments in the church built in the 21st century.
“Earlier, people came to the church to participate in the miracle, to feel uplifted. And it brought them closer to God. Tried to reproduce this state,” he shared with “Vechirnyi Kyiv” Anatoly Kryvolap.
The first murals were presented in 2019 in the large hall of the Lavra gallery. The success of the exhibition was crazy.
“I saw the largest, most modern, and most importantly absolutely avant-garde, in every sense of the word, work on a sacred theme,” recalls the curator Yuri Komelkov. — The technology developed by Stupachenko from the latest materials in combination with the unique color mathematics of Kryvolap created the highest, unprecedented level of synergy between artists of completely different directions.”
During 2020-2021, these paintings were mounted in the temple.
THE WAR DID NOT STOP THE WORK OF ARTISTS
On February 24, 2022, a full-scale war began. The village of Lypivka was occupied by the Russians. The temple turned into a bomb shelter for children, women and the elderly. Fierce fighting took place on the territory of the church, during which the church was shot. The bathhouse, in which the archangels, seraphim and pantocrator were already mounted, was particularly affected. The chests of the archangels were torn, the wings of the seraphim were torn off, the pantocrator was cut into pieces. The artists decided to leave these paintings in this state for posterity and as an example of the invaders’ barbarism.
“But the war did not stop the work of artists. Together with Bohdan Batruh, a joint decision was made to complete the murals. This is actually a miracle that happens during the war! And we decided to exhibit the second, last part of the paintings together with the painted model of the temple. In the exposition of the project, I included a photo exhibition dedicated to the shooting of the church.” Yuri Komelkov noted.
“This project is a symbol of the revival of Ukraine. We are showing other countries that we, Ukrainians, are creating a new, absolutely high-quality cultural product that cannot be found anywhere else in the world,” she noted. Hanna Starostenk, deputy head of KMDAat.
Opening of the exhibition “TEMPLE. Ukrainian self-identification” (part 2) will take place at the Kyiv City Art Gallery “Lavra” on April 19 at 5:00 p.m.
The exhibition will be open from April 20 to June 25.
Opening hours of the gallery: Tue. — Sun. 12.00 – 18.00
Address: Lavrsky lane, 7
On April 18, the Church of the Savior on Berestov will be solemnly opened to visitors in the capital. The ceremony promises a performance by children’s groups and a photo session with reenactors.
Maria Kataeva
