Illusion paintings by Oleh Shupliak

Shupliak’s solo exhibition “Dvovzory” (Double Visions) has opened at the Kyiv Planetarium. The Ternopil-based Ukrainian artist creates pictures with double meaning, where artistic landscapes conceal masked images of such famous people as Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, or Nikolai Gogol. The portraits of Bard of Ukraine (Shevchenko) have a special place in Shupliak’s creative portfolio. It was this series of paintings that adorned the stage in Independence Square during the Revolution of Dignity. Let us recall also that the artist won the Open All-Ukrainian Competition for the Best Design of Logo to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Shevchenko in 2013. “It is like a storm: clouds gather first, and then the idea comes like a lightning strike,” Shupliak commented on his creative method. “I feel it is crucial for the elements of the picture to be connected logically. If it is a portrait of a famous writer, the parallel plot should use characters of their works. If I paint an artist, I use specific fragments of his paintings. For example, when working on ‘The Great Artists’ series, I tried to get as close as possible to the manner and style of this or that artist.” Shupliak was trained as architect, nday.te.ua website reminded us. He tried to enter the art department several times, but was repeatedly rejected, so he then chose the Lviv Polytechnic Institute. He used his spare time to go to the city’s streets and do sketches. He is now convinced that it was architecture, which required him to see things in different planes, that allowed him to develop this “double thinking.” Painters working in this style can be counted on the fingers on one hand. Not surprisingly, the illusion paintings by the Berezhany-born artist are in demand in many countries. Works of the Ukrainian master are now kept in collections of the Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv, the Cultural Heritage International Foundation in St. Petersburg, and in private collections around the world.