In the painting “Roofs” (65x60 cm) by the Ukranian artist Svyatoslav Ryabkin, climbing over the roofs of the houses allows the young people to distance themselves from everyday life by rising but without flying away. This realistic subject is made by a surreal way.


How many times do we feel the need to say enough and move away from the wrong (not sincere and opportunistic) relationships?! Gossip and selfishness dirty our days and moreover, economic precariousness makes us fragile but at the same time we are tempted to collect meaningless objects to feel better. We feel confused like these two people inside this succession of identical houses.



In this delicate oil on canvas (2012) soft colours recall the effect of pastels on a sheet of paper. The white roofs are parallelograms with blue shades and the walls of the houses become the peach-coloured background of this moment that seems to last both for a second and for an eternity. Finally the small blue windows seem empty eyes on the world. This painting is sweet as an ice cream (with melon and milk flavors) despite the oppressive and sharp setting. Dear Readers, write us your feeling looking at it, if hallucinogenic movement or tedious stillness!


The artist loves houses very much. Already in 2011 he painted them. In the persuasive painting called “Night music” he portrayed high buildings in a nocturnal setting and in “Lovers of the city” (2016) he celebrated the romantic love in flight on a hot air balloon above an expanse of red roofs. So fantastic! What is your favorite painting?


Svyatoslav Ryabkin, called “Slava” by friends, makes the prospective in his own personal and unconventional way. As in "Roofs", also in the paninting “Recollection about traveling to Russia 1" (2014) the roofs of the houses are emphasized more than the houses themselves and observers’ attention goes to the central scene to the two stylized figures. They are on different roofs to guarantee their living space. She is silent. How many times do words remain suspended at the level of the unspoken for fear that they will not be understood or, on the contrary, words risk being understood too well and have overwhelming consequences? The boy listens to the silence because men are experts in solving riddles. Together they complement each other. They are close in soul and communicate in this infinite return that looks like a room of mirrors.


Why has the artist pointed out that they won't fly away? Each is the synthesis of own experiences and memories and they are aware of what they are and what they have around them. This framework conveys great stability and personal strength. They will not fly away to chase false myths because they are stable as antennas! And they will not lose their next target.


After the arrival of the Coronavirus, we all feel a little like this: poised and far each other. They are stuck in a frame between past and future. And we? We have stopped and this is not always negative beacause we have looked at life from another point of view, became more altruistic and tenacious waiting for the repopulation of roads. In my opinion, in this beautiful painting the houses are full of people who are winning this battle, could you see them too?


In the summer of 2019 the painting “Roofs” was exhibited at the welcoming and suggestive Osteria Arman’s (Treviso, Italy).