Oleksii Artiukh

Artistic background

Artist Alexey Petrovich Artiukh, was born in 1966 in Kiev, Ukraine. In 1982, he graduated from art school and then studied a lot with artists-tutors in academic realism and impressionism styles. He worked as an artist-designer in various organisations. In 1992 he graduated from the Kiev Theological Seminary, and in 2004 the Kiev Theological Academy. He paints in academic realism and Impressionism styles and has painted many pictures on the themes: "Picturesque states of nature", as well as "Exotic places of our planet". This theme is chosen because of his love of nature, as well as the great desire of the artist to keep unusual (exotic) places of our planet, which is increasingly being destroyed and changed by the destructive activities of mankind and their impact on the world climate.

Words from Alexey Artiukh on life in Ukraine:
"The war caught me unawares; it seemed like a nightmare and I wanted to wake up sooner, or it was like an action movie in the theatre, and it was time to leave the hall. But the bombings near Kyiv remind us time and again that this is a cruel reality. In the first days of the war, when explosions in Gostomel and Irpin were visible from my windows (1 live on the outskirts of Kyiv) it was difficult to work creatively. I was troubled by uncertainty and fear of the future. In this state, I could only pray and read the Bible and which relaxed me. But after two-three weeks I adapted and I wanted to paint, maybe because the sense of the value of life and the beauty of nature that surrounds us intensified. It may seem strange, but while the war is going on I painted 14 paintings, some of them are my best work. I think it's because I value every minute of life and when I sit down at the easel like it's the last time in my life. I can't sell anything in my country now. I am very grateful to those helping me to show my creativity in England, a country where there are many lovers of art and all the beautiful things in this world!"