Composition with steps

Mediums: oil, canvas.
Location: the Lviv National Museum of Art (Ukraine).

Mykhailo Andriienko created this painting during the short period of his stay in Bucharest; it meets such a special characteristic of his work as cubo-constructivism. According to art historian Valentina Markade, who personally knew the artist, he “rejects all attempts to convey the very concept of movement in painting”. Everything in the picture is subject to the strict laws of “solid” construction – static, without a hint of fluctuating shapes or colours. Constructiveness and balance in the image are of primary interest to the author. Denial of the basic postulate of futurism distinguishes the work of Andreenko from his colleagues – Sony Delaunay, Alexandra Exter and others.