Hi!
I slept badly. My mind was carving images of the family killed by the fire in Kharkiv. So I woke up earlier than planned, made a large cup of warcoffee (very strong and blackishly black), and started browsing cultural news and looking at the paintings. Distraction. I needed it.
Beauty always helps me, cradling me in its arms and keeping me sane.
I usually read a lot. My curious mind makes me discover new names and things. This week, I learned about an artist from Kherson, Oksana Osnach. During Kherson's occupation, she started painting large canvases. She wanted to paint Ukrainians. So I use her paintings of that period in my letter. At the end of it (the letter) I will show you something unusual she also creates.
'And there will be a son and a mother...', 2022
Oksana Osnach was born in 1965 in Kherson and obtained two degrees, one in art. When the full-scale war began, and russians occupied Kherson from the beginning, Oksana found it difficult to know how to live and act in these conditions. Many people avoided going out unnecessarily. However, she began painting large canvases and drawing Ukrainians after a while. In total, she created ten paintings during the occupation.
I will continue Oksana's story later. Let's talk about the latest news in Ukraine.
Early in the morning on February 7, russians launched a large-scale attack against Ukrainian cities. Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv oblasts were targeted. russia attacked Ukraine using 64 missiles of various types and drones. Ukrainian air defence destroyed 44 targets.
In Kyiv, a fire broke out in an 18-storey building; four people were killed and 39 injured.
In Mykolaiv, around 40 residential buildings were damaged. One man died, and six people were injured as a result of the attack.
We need a painting.
'Oh, there's a red viburnum in the meadow', 2022
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, supported the updated bill on mobilization in the first reading. Ukraine's leadership hopes to update the legal framework around conscription in 2024 to ramp up mobilization. Bills must be passed by parliament in two readings and signed by the president to become law.
On February 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Valerii Zaluzhnyi from his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed a new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He listed the tasks he is currently facing:
clear and detailed planning of actions of all military administration bodies;
the fastest and most efficient distribution and delivery of everything necessary for combat units;
introduction of new technical solutions and scaling of successful experiences.
'Glory and Will', 2022
An awful tragedy caused by russian drones happened in Kharkiv on the night of February 9-10. russian Shahed drones attacked an oil refinery, leading to a fuel leak that, in turn, set 15 private residential buildings on fire.
A fire in a private house killed a family of five people: a husband and wife and their three children – a seven-year-old, a four-year-old and a seven-month-old boys. The family became hostages to the fire inside their own home. The body of the man was found in the hallway of the house, and the mother and the children tried to seek refuge in the bathroom.
A 66-year-old man and his 65-year-old wife were killed in another house.
'Holy Mother of Heroes', 2022
After this part, I made a short pause. I needed a glass of water and a deep breath. And now, I want to continue the story about Oksana Osnach, a Kherson painter. She is an artist of the project 'Chumak Icon on Flounder' and the author of more than 40 images on fish.
The depiction of icons on fish is an ancient tradition. The сhumaks used them as amulets in their travels. Usually, the images were applied to flounder. There is information that the сhumaks gave the icons to churches after their journeys as a gratitude for the survival of all the oxen.
A few words about chumaks: Chumak was a historical and traditional wagon-based trading occupation in the territory of modern Ukraine in the late Medieval and early Modern periods of history. It involved the delivery of goods (salt, fish, grain, and others) for long-distance sales using carts harnessed to oxen. They prospered until the end of the 19th century when competition from railroads made longer trade routes unprofitable.
In 2018, Oskana Osnach met the historian and reenactor Andrii Lopushynskyi. He suggested depicting the icon on a flounder, which he had once read about in a magazine. This is how their collaboration began.
Drawing on fish is not easy. Oksana first draws on paper and then transfers the drawing to the flounder. First, the fish is dried for about six months. Andrii buys flounder at the market or in a shop.
The first major exhibition of the flounder icon was presented at the Kherson Regional Museum of Local Lore in November 2021.
That's all I wanted to write to you about today. As usual, it was not an easy letter, but I find it important to tell you what is happening in Ukraine and highlight something from our culture (sometimes, history).
You may share this letter or any parts with everyone you want. Let's keep Ukraine in people's hearts together.
With a gentle bow from me and my words,
Lady with a pen