Painting Independence, artist Valeriy Kot

The painting, created a year after Ukraine gained sovereignty (1991), is a profound philosophical and symbolic canvas that transcends mere celebration. It reflects the artist's complex, mystical view on the idea of freedom, consistent with his style of Surrealism and Esoteric Abstraction.

The work is executed in Valeriy Kot's signature manner — dominated by bright, contrasting colours that create a sense of ephemerality and idealization. The scene unfolds around a table, where a sacred, philosophical gathering is taking place.

Colour Palette: The dominance of bright blue and golden-yellow colours immediately references Ukraine's national colours, but they are used not as decoration but as metaphysical matter. Blue (like water, consciousness, calm) and yellow/gold (like the sun, energy, enlightenment) create an idealized, almost celestial space.

Composition: Symmetrical yet dynamic. The central figures (women) are clearly divided by an arch-mirror, which may symbolize a transition, a choice, or two opposing aspects of a single essence.

Central Female Figures:

• The Right Figure (Golden-yellow): Her face, illuminated by the sun or inner light, symbolizes Statehood, Freedom, or the Future. Her elaborate hairstyle, resembling a wreath or crown, intertwines with yellow and blue currents, emphasizing the connection to national identity.
• The Left Figure (Blue): Concealed in shadow, she may symbolize the Past, Spirituality, or Hidden Knowledge. Her gesture, with outstretched hands touching the hands of the other figure, suggests a transfer, trust, or farewell.

The presence of the sphere with the number 7 is extremely important:

Numerology: The number 7 in world culture and esotericism is a symbol of spirituality, wisdom, completion, and perfection (seven days of creation, seven notes, seven chakras, seven colours of the rainbow).

• Sphere/Orb: The circle or sphere symbolizes wholeness, the absolute, cyclical nature, and an ideal state.
• The Message: In the context of the declaration of Independence (1991), which occurred at a turning point in history, the sphere with the number 7 may symbolize:
• Achieving Perfection/Wholeness: Independence as the completion of a long cycle of struggle.
• Spiritual Path: Independence as a metaphysical, rather than just political, act that opens the way to higher development.

Two glasses symbolize a shared toast, a covenant, a sacred offering, or unity. The hands reaching out to them are ready to accept and share this fate, emphasizing that Independence — is a shared responsibility and a shared celebration.

In the background, we see a bright blue space framed by an arch that resembles a window — a symbol of a portal, a new beginning, and an open future. The light pouring from there is the light of hope.