Painting Trophy, artist Oleksandr Yatsenko

• Artist: Oleksandr Yatsenko
• Title: "Trophy"
• Year: 2024
• Size: 115 × 145 cm
• Materials: oil on canvas
• Original hand-painted artwork

"Trophy" is a large vertical canvas almost entirely occupied by the head of a predatory fish. The fish is shown from below and slightly from the side: it has thrown its head back and opened its jaws wide, revealing rows of sharp white teeth and a bright red throat. Directly above the mouth hangs a golden treble fishing hook with a small shiny weight, and the whole painting is built around this moment — only a few centimetres remain before the bite. A large round eye with an orange iris and a narrow vertical pupil looks straight at the viewer. Sharp spiny fins bristle along the left side of the body, while on the right the gill cover and pectoral fin are visible. The title leaves the question open: who is the trophy here — the fish for the angler, or the hook for the fish?

The work is painted in oil on canvas, densely and with strong relief. The body of the fish is assembled from countless small spots and strokes of colour laid close together, recalling mosaic, scales and pointillism all at once. The outlines of scales, fins and folds are traced with dark lines that give the image graphic clarity. The teeth, eye and hook are painted carefully and in detail, whereas the background is built from short cross-hatched strokes of light shades — silvery, pinkish, turquoise — so that it shimmers like mother-of-pearl or rippling water. The combination of dense texture and fine detail makes the painting striking both from a distance and up close.

The colour is bright and iridescent: violet, purple, crimson, turquoise, acid green and cobalt blue alternate across the body of the fish like a rainbow film. The hottest points are the red mouth and the orange eye, while the golden hook flashes against the light background. The pearly grey background tames the riot of colour and sets off the silhouette. The mood of the work is dramatic with a touch of irony: the tension of the moment is combined with an almost fairy-tale decorativeness. The motley colouring prevents the fish from being seen as an ordinary catch: it looks like a creature from a legend or a dream, which makes the scene all the more mysterious.

Oleksandr Yatsenko is a contemporary Ukrainian painter, born in 1980 in Cherkasy, who lives and works in Kyiv and graduated from the painting faculty of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. His works feature animals, plants and marine organisms, with natural forms transformed into complex decorative structures. The artist's personal style is built on the contrast between dense, textured painting and fine detailing reminiscent of graphic art.

At 115 × 145 cm, "Trophy" needs a free wall and becomes the main focal point of a room. It looks great in a loft with brick or concrete walls, in a spacious living room with cognac-coloured leather furniture, in a study, or in a restaurant or bar. Its rich violet and turquoise tones can be echoed with velvet cushions or a throw. The painting will make an excellent gift for a man — especially an angler or a lover of bold animal painting. With its vivid, memorable subject, the work easily becomes a conversation piece for guests.