The painting «Dream-Grass» (2018) is part of a series titled «The Third Day.» The central theme is the creation of flowers, which, according to the Old Testament, took place on the third day after the beginning of the Universe.
«And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and trees bearing fruit.
And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.»
The biblical text can be interpreted in various ways—both literally and as a set of symbols and metaphors. Flowers are often associated with paradise, an ideal land, a refuge for the soul, and a microcosm of humanity, represented by the five outer points of the senses, akin to the five petals of a flower.
The dream-grass flower, listed in the Red Book of endangered species, symbolizes an inner universe. In this painting, it also represents the universe created by two people (a pair, a man and a woman, can be seen in the painting), intertwining their worlds and destinies into a single spiral galaxy—the Milky Way.
The painting’s three-dimensional quality is enhanced by collage elements that extend beyond the canvas, reaching out to the viewer and inviting them into its world of oil and enamel.
