Sonia Atlantova | Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica - SOLD

SONIA ATLANTOVA
Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, 2022

Tempera & gold leaf on wood from Russian ammunition boxes rescued by Ukrainian soldiers from battlefields near Kyiv.

40x35cm / 15.7x13.8 inches

Saint Dmitry on a horse defeating the enemy is painted in red tones traditionally associated with war. Now, when the war has come to Ukraine, the Ukrainians realized how incredibly important it is to have a strong army. This iconography is associated with the legend of a miracle of St. Dmitry saving the city of Thessaloniki from the enemy invasion by killing their leader. What the Ukrainian military has done so far also looks like a miracle.

© Sonia Atlantova

Icons on Ammunition Boxes 
From 2015, Ukrainian artists Sonia Atlantova and Olexander Klimenko have been using wooden fragments from ammunition boxes abandoned by Russian soldiers on the battle fields in Ukraine to paint icons and donating all sale proceeds to mobile hospitals that provide urgent medical care to wounded Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in late February, 2022, their work remains more relevant than ever.