Painting Mandala, artist Oleksandr Yatsenko

• Artist: Oleksandr Yatsenko
• Title: "Mandala"
• Year: 2021
• Size: 210 × 120 cm
• Materials: oil on canvas
• Original hand-painted artwork

"Mandala" is a large horizontal canvas built on a central, symmetrical composition. At its very heart shines a three-dimensional eight-pointed star formed by two intersecting tetrahedra. Its facets are painted in golden, amber and orange planes, so the figure looks like a crystal glowing from within. The star is surrounded by a pale sun-like disc, and around it unfolds a white openwork mandala: concentric rows of petals, curls, dots and thin rays with droplet-shaped tips. The background is a warm cosmic space in which soft waves of radiance spread from the centre to the edges. The strict symmetry draws the eye to the middle of the canvas, while the radiating rays create a sense of a flash and of outward movement.

The work is painted in oil on canvas, and two distinct manners of painting are clearly visible in it. The background is worked with soft blends of colour without hard edges: the shades flow into one another and form swirls reminiscent of a nebula. The mandala, by contrast, is executed in a thin white line in an almost graphic way — every petal and every dot is repeated with jewel-like precision. The facets of the star are modelled with crisp planes of light and shade: the transitions from pale lemon to deep orange give the figure volume and a glassy sheen. Small light dots and cross-shaped sparks, like distant stars, are scattered across the background, adding depth and turning it into a space without edges.

The palette is built on warm tones — gold, amber, ochre, tangerine and copper brown. The lightest area is the white lace of the mandala and the halo around the star, while towards the edges of the canvas the colour deepens to terracotta and brown. This transition from a bright centre to a darker periphery creates a glowing effect: the painting seems to radiate warmth by itself. The mood of the work is focused and solemn, inviting contemplation and inner quiet. Greenish and golden sparks in the background add a light, cool note to the palette and keep the warm colour from becoming monotonous.

Oleksandr Yatsenko is a contemporary Ukrainian painter, born in 1980 in Cherkasy, who lives and works in Kyiv. He graduated from the Taras Shevchenko Republican Art School and from the painting faculty of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. His work is rooted in exploring the connections between humans, nature and the Universe, and in his paintings he combines oil with elements of mosaic, graphic art, pointillism and ornamental art.

At 210 × 120 cm, "Mandala" needs space: it will become the main focal point of a living room, a spacious hallway, a study, a yoga studio or a meditation room. The warm golden-orange palette goes well with light walls, natural wood and textiles in sand and terracotta shades. The work will make a fitting gift for a woman who practises yoga or is interested in Eastern philosophy, and an expressive gift for a business partner on the opening of a studio or office. The painting looks best on an uncluttered wall with soft, diffused light, where nothing competes with its central radiance.