Different Donetsk to the rock music by Frank Duval

DONETSK – The painter Liudmyla Bekasova from Donetsk does not like speaking about herself a lot. She says that her works making part of numerous private collections in our country and abroad tell about everything. Her trademark is the painting The Autumn Tram that depicts romantic Donetsk and not the industrial one.

The first painting one associates with you is The Autumn Tram.

“Probably, it is true. The thing is that a lot of people like this work because it has cheerful and nostalgic notes. It always attracts.”

Besides, it breaks stereotypes since it depicts Donetsk not as an industrial city but as a very beautiful and historical one.

“I agree with you. Our city and the local landscapes are traditionally presented with the waste banks in the background. I have a lot of works about Donetsk and all of them are painted in the romantic style. Pushkin Avenue with its lamps and amorous twosomes, rainy autumn streets, sunny spring squares, etc. I like walking. When I walk in the city I notice interesting topics and I try to depict them just after I come to the studio when the impression is still fresh. This is how the yellow tram appeared.”

You are equally successful in various genres and styles…

“Yes, I paint portraits and landscapes, still lives and animals but the urban landscape is my favorite genre. I like traveling. When I visit a country or a city I always render my impressions on the canvas. Most of my works are painted in the impressionist style, this way I try to catch and depict the beautiful moments of the world, but I also work in the realist manner.”

How would you describe the process of painting?

“I just started plunging into the state of the unconditional love. My conscience works only when I start working and squirt the paints on the palette. Then when I enter this state my hand paints itself. The problem is that when you grow in your ethereal body you can hear what is happening on the ground floor (the painter’s studio is on the fourth floor. – Author). That is why I turn on the music. By the way, I mainly painted Donetsk to the rock music. It was Frank Duval, his first concert.

“Moreover, lately I often meditate. I try to realize every moment and to be here and now. I live with it and enjoy it, I try to enjoy. Sometimes I have a break and do not paint but I still miss painting. When I resume painting I become euphoric.”

Apart from painting you also do the art photography but painting and photography are different arts. How do they correlate?

“The thing is that I have been drawing since I was two and taking photos since I was seven. The painting and photography go together. Besides, the photography helps a lot. I do not take my painter’s case and paints with me and the camera is always at my fingertips. The moments of a beautiful sunset, transparent sea waves or a crowded street can be photographed and used when painting. It does not matter for me whether I paint from nature or use photos. The thing that matters is the impression I saw and realized.”

If we speak about painting in Donetsk: does the “Donetsk” painting school exist?

“I do not think that it is possible to single out a separate school. The creative work of the Donetsk artists is diverse and inimitable, just like the creative work of many other Ukrainian artists.”

A lot of your works are in private collections in Ukraine and abroad. Isn’t it difficult for you to say goodbye to your paintings?

“Sometimes, but this feeling does not last for a long time since, to be honest, I am satisfied when paintings are noticed and admired, when they find their owners. That is why I am happy when every work is in demand.”

Does it ever happen that you do not like some of your paintings?

“Probably, not. I paint only with positive feelings and it means that there is at least one good stroke.”

Can a modern artist be self-sufficient?

“Of course. Everything depends on people. I think anyone who selflessly gives oneself to their job and live with what they do are finally rewarded.”

Is there anything in the art you would like to master?

“I always experiment, search the new painting methods. I am always in the artistic explorations. That is why I think I have a lot of new pleasant discoveries ahead.”

You said you like traveling; nevertheless you are devoted to Donetsk…

“Previously I saw in Donets all its drawbacks. When I go abroad I do not notice them from an outsider’s viewpoint whereas at home I take everything hard. Now I try not to notice it here as well yet sometimes it is difficult, especially when using public transport… In general, Donetsk is my city where I wake up, breathe (whatever the air is), my sun rises here, it rains and snows and the sunsets are beautiful…”