Original artwork description:

Vyacheslav Onyshchenko’s painting "Winter Met Spring" is a vibrant and expressive depiction of the transition between two seasons. Painted en plein air in Sedniv, this oil-on-canvas landscape (90x72.5 cm) captures a picturesque townscape from an elevated viewpoint, overlooking a small settlement as it emerges from winter into the warmth of spring.
The composition is structured with a foreground dominated by tall, leafless trees, which frame the colorful rooftops of houses below. Their dark, twisting branches create a dynamic contrast against the lighter sky and add depth to the perspective. The viewer’s eye is led downward and into the scene, following the rooftops and roads winding through the town. The elevated vantage point gives the painting a sense of openness, allowing a panoramic view of the river, distant fields, and a sky that hints at seasonal change.
The painting's color palette beautifully conveys the meeting of winter and spring. Cool blues and whites of the lingering snow mix with the warm yellows, reds, and greens of the houses and budding trees. The artist captures sunlight reflecting off rooftops and patches of melting snow, evoking a sense of warmth slowly taking over the cold landscape. The sky is painted with soft pastel hues, suggesting a crisp yet gentle atmosphere typical of early spring.
The brushwork is expressive and loose, characteristic of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist influences. The application of thick, impasto strokes adds texture to the trees, rooftops, and ground, making the scene feel lively and full of energy. The artist captures the fleeting nature of the moment. The melting snow appears rough and uneven, painted with a combination of thick strokes and delicate highlights, emphasizing the impermanence of the winter season.
The painting conveys a sense of renewal and transformation. There is a contrast between the starkness of winter and the vibrant promise of spring, creating a mood that is both nostalgic and hopeful. The presence of human habitation, though without visible figures, suggests quiet life stirring beneath the change of seasons.
The meeting of winter and spring in this work serves as a metaphor for transition and change. The contrast between cold and warmth, dormancy and rebirth, is poetically expressed through the interplay of light, color, and texture. The work captures not only the physical landscape but also the fleeting passage of time, making it an evocative representation of nature’s cycles.
"Winter Met Spring" by Vyacheslav Onyshchenko is a plein air landscape that immerses the viewer in the beauty of seasonal change. With its dynamic composition, rich color contrasts, and expressive brushwork, the painting beautifully captures a moment of transformation in nature. Through this work, the artist invites the viewer to reflect on the delicate balance between the fading cold and the arrival of warmth, encapsulating the poetic essence of spring’s awakening.

Materials used:

oil on canvas

Tags:

#landscape #painting #winter #river #trees #spring #impressionism #impressionistic #ukraine #professional #plein air #pleinair