You're reading: Artist paints tribute to Heavenly Hundred

At latest count, the death toll of the EuroMaidan Revolution that toppled former President Viktor Yanukovych stands at 105 people. Most were killed on Feb. 20, a day before Yanukovych fled the country.

Ukraine’s tragedy touched the heart of Svetlana Kalinicheva, 32, an artist who decided to paint portraits of the slain protesters.

“I was shocked to see the lines of corpses and bloody pavement on Kyiv’s central streets,” she recalls.
Kalinicheva comes from Sevastopol but lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Deeply moved by the murders in Kyiv, she copes with her sorrow by painting the murdered protesters, known as the Heavenly Hundred.

Kalinicheva plans to draw portraits of victims and frame them on two large panels
She started in early March and has already drawn some 17 oil portraits of EuroMaidan victims. She intends to finish her project by May. Each portrait takes her a day of work. Kalinicheva tries to feel and convey the victim’s mood.

“Some portraits are very easy to draw because of charismatic or interesting traits of the characters,” Kalinicheva says. Others take more effort. All deserve equal care, she said.

“All the people who died on EuroMaidan are heroes. I respect all of them equally. That’s why I do not have favorite portraits,” Kalinicheva said.

The artist finds photos of the Heavenly Hundred online. She lacks photos of two victims. Many members of the victims’ families eagerly send the victims’ photos to Kalinicheva. Through her work, she established contacts with the relatives and close friends of the killed protesters.

“People write to me to thank me for the portraits. It’s very touching,” Kalinicheva said. “Getting feedback for what I am doing is very important for me,” she added.

The artist does not plan to exhibit her paintings in galleries or museums. Instead, she wants to make a video that would feature the portraits.

Kalinicheva also plans to print her portraits on postcards, posters, and banners.

“My project’s name is ‘Memory,’ and I want people to remember those patriotic and brave people who wanted to change their future and were not afraid of anything,” Kalinicheva said. “I also want people to remember EuroMaidan because it generated socially and politically active people.”

For more information
To find photos and profiles of the Heavenly Hundred, go to www.nebesnasotnya.com.ua and to www.kyivpost.com/multimedia/photo/the-stories-of-10-of-euromaidans-slain-heroes-337424.html

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected]