Helgana Shyshkina-Rybalskaya “To a meeting with Destiny.”

2020; acrylic; canvas on a stretcher; 40х60 cm; The painting has nails for vertical placement. 

Description: 

The painting is like a view from above of a snow-covered part of the sidewalk somewhere in the city. On this white snow from the lower right corner of the picture to the center is a modern girl in jeans and a black coat with a red umbrella in the shape of a heart, the girl leaves traces of her footsteps on the white snow. To meet her, in the upper left corner, another character also began to move to the center of the painting, which is clear from the presence of his shoes. But these shoes are such that they can be on both men’s and women’s feet. In order not to distract from the white snow and the movement of the heroes, the Cyrillic initials of the author “Х.Ш.Р.” in the typical for the author vertical version, with the image of a cone on the letter “Ш” and a fish on the letter “P”, set in black on white on the side of the painting. 

This painting is about the fact that each of us dreams of true love, of such a special feeling that will completely change the lives of two people. But in today’s world it is so difficult to find your soul mate. Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone, do something out of the ordinary, pave new paths in the open field … And it is so valuable when two brave people, as if by chance, meet each other! My painting about this special moment – a minute before the fateful meeting.

In fact, my characters go to meet each other in a completely white urban space. This snow on the asphalt is like a symbol of a blank sheet from which the two will begin their new life together. And as an author, I say: these two will be very happy together.

About artist: 

Helgána Shyshkina-Rybalskaya was born in 1974 in Kyiv, in the family of an engineer-inventor, a direct descendant of the outstanding Russian artist Ivan Shishkin. At an early age she became interested in painting. From the age of 4 she studied drawing with a private teacher, and also had the status of a prodigy from Kyiv. From the age of 8 she studied in the studio of the Honored Artist of Ukraine NP Semenyuk. At the age of 10, she first took part in an art exhibition. 15 of her paintings of children and youth were selected by a special commission for the Children’s Art Gallery of Kyiv, in the funds of which they are kept to this day. Also during this period she was engaged in swimming, studied at a music school and attended a theater group. At the age of 15, she formed the rock band “Shadows of Mirkwood”, where she was an author and front-girl and performed under the pseudonym “Elven Queen Genelos”. But painting was still a priority for her. 

Her health has deteriorated since the Chernobyl tragedy. In particular, an allergy to the components of oil painting was detected. After that, it became clear that the girl would not be able to take a standard course at the Academy of Arts. Therefore, she entered the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv as a philologist and successfully graduated in 1997, after which she worked in television, became a cult culturologist and even served in the police. But in parallel with this activity she tried her hand at graphics, and also collaborated as a designer with tile manufacturers and jewelers. 

Only in 2007 did she learn about the existence of acrylic paints. This knowledge completely changed her life, because the color – southern and juicy – returned to her life. Then she left her job in the office and devoted herself entirely to creativity. As an artist, she participated in many international exhibitions and prestigious competitions, won international competitions. Some of her paintings have been purchased in collections around the world. Also, some of her works are recorded in catalogs. There are also positive reviews from critics about her painting.

As an artist, she works exclusively with artistic (not construction!) paints of the elite segment. In her work, she combines advanced acrylic technology with the techniques of old masters of painting of the academic era. Her average working time on the painting is 9 months. Helgána believes that being an artist is the best work on Earth: “As an artist, I can recreate the vanishing beauty of our nature or create New Worlds.”

The list of exhibitions, competitions, victories and the press can be found here: https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/helgana-shyshkina-rybalskaya-9439