“Bright Hollyhocks” – Original Painting by Marina Stognieva

The Story Behind the Painting

“Bright Hollyhocks” is an original work by Ukrainian artist Marina Stognieva, created in 2026 as part of the large-scale author project “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”. The painting is made in oil on canvas and measures 30 × 40 cm. It belongs to the section dedicated to the Zhytomyr region.

For this painting, the artist chose hollyhocks — flowers that have long become part of the recognisable image of a Ukrainian home. Traditionally planted near houses, fences, and village yards, hollyhocks are closely associated in Ukrainian cultural memory with home, family, native land, and the feeling of returning to one’s roots.

“Bright Hollyhocks”. Oil on canvas, 30 × 40 cm, 2026. Interior visualisation of the painting.

In this work, the hollyhocks are not shown as delicate decorative flowers. They are large, open, and almost fill the entire canvas. Their intense pink colour stands sharply against the complex grey-green and olive background, making the blossoms appear even brighter and stronger.

The composition is built vertically: the stems rise through the entire canvas, while the large flowers are placed at different heights, creating a lively rhythm. The artist does not try to reproduce every petal with botanical precision. The forms are simplified, the brushstrokes remain visible, and the contours are occasionally emphasised with dark lines.

Colour becomes the main emotional instrument of the painting. The vivid pink areas of the hollyhocks appear almost like flashes of light against the restrained natural background. Small yellow and warm accents at the centres of the flowers add depth and strengthen the contrast even further.

Within Ukrainian visual tradition, the hollyhock is strongly associated with the home. It can be understood as a symbol of family roots, memory of the native yard, continuity between generations, and the special bond with the place where a person grew up. For this reason, the image of the hollyhock fits naturally into the “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”: it tells a story about the country not through a famous monument, but through a simple flower capable of awakening deeply personal associations.

In “Bright Hollyhocks”, this traditional image receives a contemporary painterly interpretation. The flowers do not look nostalgic or fragile. On the contrary, they are confident, saturated with colour, and almost monumental. In this way, a familiar symbol of home becomes an image of vitality, resilience, and continuation.

For the Zhytomyr section, this work adds another dimension to the landscapes and architectural subjects: an image of Ukraine expressed through a plant that has been part of village gardens and courtyards for generations. Here, the region is revealed through the atmosphere of home, garden, and cultural memory.

“Bright Hollyhocks” is part of “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”, Marina Stognieva’s large-scale author project in which different regions of Ukraine are explored through painting, nature, architecture, traditions, everyday life, and the artist’s personal observations.

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

→ Open the “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine” project

Artwork Details

Original Artwork & Collectible Fine Art Prints

The painting “Bright Hollyhocks” is an original artwork by Marina Stognieva, created by hand in oil on canvas 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 painting on canvas is carefully packaged to protect the painted surface and ensure safe transportation. All purchase, payment, packaging, and international shipping details can be discussed directly with the artist before ordering.

“For me, the hollyhock is a flower of home. It reminds me of Ukrainian courtyards, gardens, family roots, and the place we want to return to. In this painting, I wanted the flowers to be especially vivid — like a living image of memory, strength, and continuity.”

— Marina Stognieva