Roman Opalinski
Born in Western Ukraine in 1962, Roman Opalinski grew up between different cultures that inspired his way to creating inspiring boards with mixed media. Since childhood, he was surrounded by stunning landscapes and Ukrainian folk art. He graduated from Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Art. He has always drawn from several means of expression by combining passions such as painting, sculpture, and metalwork.
Opalinski has participated in many national and international exhibitions in Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, and London. Selected for the Chianciano Art Museum and the London Art Biennale, Opalinski won second prize at the Chianciano Art Biennale as well as several awards all over the world.
He creates unique works on wood where the East meets the West. Inspired by old Orthodox icons, Opalinski elaborates his stunning works in a way never seen before. He creates fairy-like atmospheres and enchanted lands where graceful figures give life to stories which weave together beautifully. Opalinski gives us new emotions every time we admire his artworks, discovering the endless elements of a rich and articulated creative narrative. The artist masterfully connects the gold glories of Byzantine art and the aesthetic of Eastern icons with a touch of French Impressionism. Like in the ancient cycle of frescoes, we perceive a great storytelling, but focusing on specific areas of Opalinski’s boards, we discover small sequences of fiction and several different figures, encased as gems in the precious golden background. Stylistically, the Ukrainian artist has a characteristic uniqueness incorporating frames into the cosmos of the story represented painting the surface of that border which has been untouched by other artists, creating a harmonic and intense masterpiece.