“Miners of Ukraine” – Original Donbas Miners Diptych by Marina Stognieva

The Story Behind the Diptych

“Miners of Ukraine” is a diptych by Ukrainian artist Marina Stognieva, created in 2025. It consists of two original oil paintings on canvas, each measuring 21 × 30 cm. The work belongs to the artist’s large-scale project “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine” and is dedicated to the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

The two paintings were conceived specifically as a pair. One presents a portrait of a miner — an individual who becomes the human face of the profession. The second shifts the viewer into a different atmosphere: a group of miners walking to their shift, entering a world of darkness, fire, physical effort, and constant inner tension. Together, the two works form one complete story — from a single person to the wider brotherhood of miners.

First part of the “Miners of Ukraine” diptych — portrait of a miner.

Second part of the diptych — miners walking to their shift.

“Miners of Ukraine” — a diptych of two original oil paintings on canvas, each 21 × 30 cm, 2025.

In the miner’s portrait, Marina Stognieva focuses not on glorifying the profession, but on the individual person. The orange helmet with its lamp immediately identifies his work, yet the face remains the emotional centre — serious, restrained, and concentrated. There is no theatrical heroism in his expression. He appears as someone who understands the weight of hard labour and who regularly enters a place where darkness is part of everyday working life.

Behind the portrait, an industrial landscape emerges. It is painted in a loose, suggestive manner, almost like a memory of a mining region. Earth, industrial structures, and muted greys and browns form the environment from which the miner’s image seems to grow.

The second painting in the diptych is much more dynamic. A group of miners moves forward, as if moments before the beginning of a shift. Their figures are partly absorbed by darkness, while helmets and faces emerge through sharp flashes of light.

Here, the artist builds the composition around strong contrasts. Deep black and dark green areas meet hot yellow, orange, and red brushstrokes. The effect suggests underground heat, dust, physical intensity, and the boundary between light and darkness that defines so much of a miner’s working environment.

It is the relationship between the two canvases that gives the diptych its particular strength. The first painting speaks about the individual. The second speaks about collective labour. The portrait allows us to encounter one person, while the group scene reminds us that mining is always connected with teamwork, mutual responsibility, and trust in the people working beside you.

For decades, mining has been one of the defining parts of the industrial history of Donbas. Within a project dedicated to the Donetsk region, the miner therefore becomes an important figure in Marina Stognieva’s artistic narrative about the people of the region — their endurance, character, physical strength, and everyday work.

“Miners of Ukraine” is a diptych about the dignity of labour and the human being within a larger industrial history. It does not attempt to romanticise a dangerous profession. Instead, it expresses respect for people who work in extremely demanding conditions and whose labour has shaped the economic and cultural identity of the region for generations.

Within “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”, this diptych adds another layer to the artistic portrait of the Donetsk region through its people. Alongside cities, nature, architecture, and cultural memory, individual human stories help reveal the character of the region more deeply.

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

→ Discover “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”

Artwork Details

Original Diptych & Collectible Fine Art Prints

The “Miners of Ukraine” diptych consists of two original paintings by Marina Stognieva. The works were conceived as a unified pair: a portrait of a miner and a group scene showing miners walking to their shift.

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.

Both paintings are carefully packaged for safe transportation. All purchase, payment, and international shipping details can be discussed directly with the artist before ordering.

“In this diptych, it was important for me to show not only the profession, but the people themselves — their endurance, concentration, mutual trust, and inner strength. Behind the history of a mining region there are always individual human lives.”

— Marina Stognieva