This original artwork “Good and Evil” was created by the contemporary Russian artist Andrej Vystropov and is available for sale online.

The allegorical painting Good and Evil (1996) continues to provoke controversy among viewers, who attempt to define the boundaries of good and evil according to their perception of the image. Set against a surrealistic landscape, the painting depicts two graceful female figures holding cups and flowers. Their mirrored positions relative to each other and the absence of ‘eloquent’ attributes invite the viewer to think, compare, and seek an answer. It is difficult to explicitly determine which of the beauties symbolizes Good and which Evil. Likewise, in real life, good and evil coexist and divide human life into black and white stripes. In the famous painting by Sandro Botticelli, The Calumny of Apelles, images of slander, malice, envy, and ignorance were also represented by beautiful women, which made the painting even more poignant and expressive. Vystropov’s painting is full of allusions to the transient nature of existence, the vanity of human life, and the inevitability of the course of history. Along the sorrows of the arduous human path survive ravaged temples, sand-covered cities, Christ’s crown of thorns, and barbed wire from Auschwitz. Good and evil approach each other, but a vast chasm separates them, ending at the horizon with a Ferris wheel, which can be interpreted as the wheel of history. The Messiah — the boy in a white neck-to-toe shirt — embodies Hope. His choice will determine the fate of mankind. A small figure standing between the poles of Light and Darkness represents a guide for a lost pilgrim.
Refinement of technique, virtuosity of style, and aesthetic means recall the tradition of mannerism. However, in A. Vystropov’s paintings, form never prevails over content and does not become an end in itself. The philosophy of life of the artist-romantic is often based on an internal need for the ‘subjective experience of time.’ He interprets the meaning of each of his paintings as an expression of a certain idea through visual means, resonating with the present. Yet he remains a temperamental lyricist and philosopher at the same time. He does not seek to educate or instruct anyone. Good and Evil, Love that transforms the world, the eternal search for the ideal — these are the themes that ‘torment the soul of the artist,’ who never draws conclusions and never gives definitive answers. Zdenek Knoflichek, the Czech art critic, wrote in 2001: “… seemingly incongruous objects, symbols of parts, are combined into a meaningful whole that speaks to the viewer from within the artist’s experience. Each painted figure, and every object has its place and its role in the composite.”

This painting can be hung on the wall of your apartment, house, office, restaurant, or hotel and will be a wonderful decoration for your interior. You can buy online the artwork “Good and Evil” measuring 120 x 150 cm with secure shipping to your location.

Paintings by Russian artists for sale online