Exposition “Scenography+” features works of four masters, who represent Artists’ Section of Theater, Cinema and Television at the Kyiv Organization of the Ukrainian National Union of Artists (Viktor Baryba, Maria Levitska, Natalia Kucheria, and Stanislav Petrovsky).
Despite the heat and the fact that the exhibit is held during the summer holidays, many art fans, fellow artists, gallery owners, and collectors came to the opening. Since scene-designers rarely get a chance to use exhibition space for presenting their work, there has been a great interest in such vernissage. The plus in its name indicated that the artists took the opportunity to show not only purely theatrical side of their diverse activity, but also revealed some of their other hobbies. For example, Maria Levitska, chief designer at the National Opera of Ukraine apart from the costumes for the opera Don Carlos (her last stage work in the theater) presented over a dozen of pastel landscapes to the audience. While looking at these landscapes visitors may take an imaginary trip to the places that inspired Levitska to paint them. Despite the fragility and chamber character of pastel crayons, Levitska’s landscapes make a powerful impression at the first sight, be it Israeli parched sand and hills, cultivated by a farmer in typical cascades or Dnipro backwash densely covered with green grass. Working with light as an integral part of the art of scene design, became the flesh and blood of Levitska as an artist and the visitors are attracted by the authenticity of her paintings.
Natalia Kucheria presented the costumes for the most recent premiere of the National Opera of Ukraine Natalka Poltavka. Kucheria has been working in theater for many years now. Looking at the costumes visitors can see how with the help of props and decor, and also imagination of the artist multiplied by the work of the great masters of tailoring, illusion of luxury or historical atmosphere is created. Kucheria also demonstrated her artistic proficiency: oil flowers on canvas are in perfect harmony with the parade of folk costumes.
Colleague of Levitska and Kucheria Stanislav Petrovsky, apart from his scale models for several performances, also presented three dimensional paintings and a few samples of the design of theater programs. It is a very delicate sphere, since the cover of the program is the first thing audience sees when they come to the performance. There has to be intrigue, secret information or hint intended to get the spectators ready for further perception of the stage show.
Visitors would certainly not remain indifferent about the graphic works by Viktor Baryba. He is associated both directly and indirectly not only with theater, but also with drama. He expresses his own vision of a plot, interpreting director’s concept through his creative self.
