Ukrainian Couple in Love – Original Ukrainian Art Painting by Marina Stognieva

The Story Behind the Painting

This painting by Ukrainian artist Marina Stognieva depicts a Ukrainian couple in love. The man and woman stand very close to one another and look into each other’s eyes. Their gaze becomes the emotional centre of the composition — quiet, tender, and deeply personal.

The painting was created in Kyiv in December 2022, during the full-scale war in Ukraine. For this reason, the image of two people finding love, trust, and a sense of safety in each other takes on a special meaning. It is not only the story of a couple in love, but also an image of closeness that people try to preserve even in the most difficult times.

Detail of the painting: the couple look into each other’s eyes, while the white doves behind their shoulders symbolise peace, harmony, and peaceful life.

Behind the figures appear white doves. They evoke both birds of peace and almost angelic presences watching over the couple. In the context of 2022, this symbol becomes especially poignant: peace is no longer something ordinary or taken for granted — it becomes a dream, a hope, and one of the greatest human values.

Ukrainian motifs are woven naturally into the composition. The man wears a white embroidered shirt, while bright flowers decorate the woman’s hair. In her hands she holds a bouquet of wildflowers in which the artist introduces the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag. They become part of nature, part of the personal story of these two people, and at the same time a symbol of their country.

Full view of the painting. Oil on canvas, 105 × 120 cm, 2022.

Golden wheat rises around the couple. It evokes the image of a Ukrainian field, fertile land, harvest, and the continuation of life. The golden stems contrast with the deep blue background, and the entire composition seems to grow out of the combination of colours so closely associated with Ukraine.

At the centre of this symbolic composition, the artist leaves a very simple human gesture — the man gently holds the woman’s hand. There is no theatrical passion here. Their closeness is expressed through a gaze, a touch, and the calm presence of one person beside another. This restraint is precisely what makes the scene feel so sincere.

For Marina Stognieva, the painting brings together the personal and the national. The love between two people exists alongside love for land, culture, and country. The embroidered shirt, wildflowers, wheat, Ukrainian colours, and doves are not simply decorative details — together they create an image of a life worth protecting.

The painting displayed in an interior — a visualisation of its scale and how the artwork may look in a living space.

The painting speaks about Ukraine not only through the dramatic circumstances in which it was created, but above all through what people long for peace in order to preserve: the ability to love, to stay together, to create a family, to look into each other’s eyes, to grow wheat, gather wildflowers, and live an ordinary human life.

For this reason, the work naturally connects with Marina Stognieva’s large-scale artistic project “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”, in which the artist creates her own visual portrait of Ukraine through painting, personal stories, people, nature, and cultural symbols.

→ Discover “Picturesque Guide to Ukraine”

Artist Marina Stognieva during the creation of the painting.

Artwork Details

Original Artwork & Collectible Fine Art Prints

The painting “Ukrainian Couple in Love” is an original one-of-a-kind artwork by Marina Stognieva, painted by hand in oil on canvas.

Collectible Fine Art Prints personally signed by Marina Stognieva may also be available for selected works. Available sizes, materials, prices, and other details can be discussed directly 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, artwork size, and order details.

Each original artwork is carefully packaged for safe transportation. All purchase, payment, and international shipping details can be discussed directly with the artist before ordering.

“For me, this painting is about simple human happiness that feels especially precious during wartime: to love, to stay close, to hold each other’s hand, and to live under a peaceful sky.”

— Marina Stognieva