“Coal Heart” – Original Donbas Mining Landscape by Marina Stognieva

The Story Behind the Painting

“Coal Heart” is an original painting by Ukrainian artist Marina Stognieva, created in 2025. The work is painted in oil on 300 g/m² paper, measures 21 × 30 cm, and belongs to the artist’s large-scale project “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”, dedicated to the regions of Ukraine, their landscapes, people, history, culture, and the artist’s personal perception of each place.

The painting belongs to the section devoted to the Donetsk region of Ukraine. In this work, Marina Stognieva turns to one of the most recognisable symbols of Donbas — the mine and the mass of extracted rock associated with coal mining. Yet instead of presenting a purely industrial image, the artist places it within a living landscape of greenery, water, open sky, and soft natural light.

General view of the painting “Coal Heart”. Oil on 300 g/m² paper, 21 × 30 cm, 2025.

At the centre of the composition rises a massive form connected with the mining landscape and the accumulation of rock. It resembles a mountain — large, heavy, and shaped by human labour and by decades of coal extraction. This dominant form became the source of the painting’s title: “Coal Heart”.

For the artist, this “mountain” is not simply an industrial object. It becomes a symbol of the heart of the region — a land where coal shaped the rhythm of cities, the professions of generations, local economies, everyday life, and a strong sense of regional identity.

At the same time, the painting is not built only around dark industrial associations. Nature continues to live around the mine. Green vegetation spreads along the lower part of the landscape, while the surface of the water reflects the sky, earth, and surrounding colours. This calm natural setting creates an unexpected contrast with the weight and history of the mining environment.

Detail of “Coal Heart” — the mine and the mass of rock.

The painting combines ochre, brown, golden, green, and blue tones. The rock formation is built with energetic, moving brushstrokes, as if its surface carries traces of time, labour, and the earth itself. Above it, the sky remains light and open, balancing the visual weight of the central form.

Water plays a particularly important role in the composition. It introduces space and quietness, while also seeming to divide two worlds: the severe industrial history of the region and the natural life that continues beside it. In the reflections, the heavy earth becomes softer and the entire composition takes on a more contemplative mood.

There is no direct opposition between nature and industry in this work. Instead, they exist side by side. This relationship is important to the visual identity of the Donetsk region, where industrial landscapes became deeply connected with the land itself and with the collective memory of several generations.

“Coal Heart” can be seen as a symbolic portrait of the region. Earth, mine, water, vegetation, and sky come together in a complex and recognisable image of Donbas — a place shaped both by natural landscape and by human labour.

Within the large-scale artistic project “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”, this painting continues the story of the Donetsk region through its industrial history and natural landscape. For Marina Stognieva, it is important to show the region not only through mines and coal, but also as a place where water, greenery, light, and life have always existed alongside hard labour.

→ Explore the Donetsk Region in “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”

→ Discover the “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine” project

Artwork Details

Original Artwork & Collectible Fine Art Prints

The painting “Coal Heart” is an original artwork by Marina Stognieva, painted by hand in oil on heavyweight 300 g/m² art paper and existing as a unique one-of-a-kind work.

Collectible Fine Art Prints personally signed by Marina Stognieva may also be available for selected works. Available formats, materials, prices, and other details can be discussed before ordering.

Payment & Worldwide Shipping

Payment can be made via PayPal, bank transfer, or another agreed method.

Worldwide shipping is available. Shipping costs and estimated delivery times are calculated individually depending on the destination and order details.

The artwork on paper is carefully packaged to protect the painted surface and ensure safe transportation. All purchase, payment, and international shipping details can be discussed directly with the artist before ordering.

“I wanted to see the mining region not only through coal and industry. Beside the rock there is water, greenery, and sky. For me, this is the living heart of the land — complex, strong, and still capable of sustaining life.”

— Marina Stognieva