Kateryna Biletina: Bezzahysnist pered krasoiu [Defenseless in the Face of Beauty]

 “I call this project a collection of author’s art reconstructions of folk costumes. The series began in 2005 when I was applying to the doctoral program at the National Academy of Visual Art and Architecture and submitted a few A4 sheets as my portfolio. I wasn’t selected, which came as an unexpected defeat and even caused me to stop working. But it made me stronger. In this project, I am more intrigued by the portraits than by the costumes. True, I have always been interested in portraits. It is in portraits that I can easily translate ‘the sun, which an artist should have inside her, into line, color, and texture,’ as Vasyl Ermilov wrote in a letter to a student.” Kateryna Biletina

The source of inspiration for these drawings by the contemporary artist Kateryna Biletina was traditional Ukrainian costumes from various corners of the country: from Bukovyna, Polissia, Eastern Podillia, Volhynia, the Ukrainian Black Sea region, and others. In addition to the illustrations, the album contains an expansive interview with the artist and short essays on her work.