“In this artwork, I have combined my love for male nude and decorative floral patterns,” says renowned Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Balbyshev. “
Ukrainians have always been famous for their excessive decorative effects and embellishment. Since ancient times, Ukrainians decorated their homes with funny drawings on the walls, and our clothes and textiles have been adorned with colourful embroideries. Ukrainian women wore wreaths with flowers and flashy ribbons, and many bright decorations—even the formidable Cossack warriors were very fashionable. During peacetime, they wore clothes made of brocade and silk with gold or silver threads. Cossacks considered that looking dressy is a matter of honour... That’s why I have a craving for decorativeness and the use of ornaments in my artworks.”
Oleksandr Balbyshev began his career working in architecture and design, but a few years into his career he lost his job as his home country of Ukraine entered a serious financial crisis. After losing his job he decided to change his career path entirely and became an artist. Now, Balbyshev has created a global name for himself in the art world, renowned for his specialist themes of male sexuality and sensuality.
He wants the viewer to observe his art and see the realm of ideas that make up his work, beyond the faces and bodies of a human. Instead, he hopes the viewer will see visions of worlds within worlds that show us an image of ourselves whilst highlighting that there is more to us than we know.
Another common theme in his work is the modification of old Soviet-era portraits of Lenin where he paints on top of old portraits by cutting the canvases, dripping paint on them or glueing them in a chaotic manner that works to erase the propaganda and ideological meaning of the image.
All of our frames are created with high-quality wood, milled with simple clean lines and presented with a satin finish. Every purchase also includes an off-white mount that will not discolour or fade with age. For the matted or mounted prints we use a thick 1.4mm window mount cut from premium textured moutboard. All mounts are conservation grade, FSC certified, 100% acid free, and will not discolour or fade with age.
The artwork is printed on premium fine art paper. The paper is museum quality, and reproduces photography and artworks with exceptional tonality and renders sharp details with consistent flatness and accuracy.
- Simple, elegant design
- Giclée printing
- Premium, fine art paper with a gently textured surface
- Handmade by specialist picture framers
- FSC certified off-white mat / window mount
- Delivered ready for hanging
What is a Giclée Print? The word “Giclée” is French for “sprayed ink.” Today, the term is used to describe a sophisticated inkjet printmaking process which creates the highest quality fine art reproductions. All of our inhouse prints are manufactured in this way. Giclée printing offers extra-fine image resolution, helping to retain a higher degree of detail from the original fine art or photographic images.
What are the dispatch times? Posters, Mini, Small and Medium prints are generally dispatched within a 10 days of purchase.
Large prints are dispatched within three weeks of purchase *Note: COVID may affect normal dispatching schedules
What happened if my print is damaged during transit? We require photo proof of the damaged print within 7 days. If the damage is confirmed to occur during transit, we will gladly send a replacement.