Image: Volodymyr Orlovsky, A Ukrainian Landscape with Windmill (1882)

On Saturdays, we like to post about art that intersects with the world of food (consistent with the primary purpose of this site to be a dining guide for Washington, D.C.). This year we are focusing on the theme of where food comes from.

Ukraine has been nicknamed “The Breadbasket of Europe.” The imagery of the Ukrainian landscape, from the coasts, to the fields, to the religious buildings that date to the early days of the Rus people, have been emotional touchstones for many Ukrainian artists. This paining is by Volodymyr Orlovsky (more frequently cited as Vladimir as a painter in the Russian empire). He was born in Kyiv in 1842. Upon the recommendation of the great Ukrainian bard and painter Taras Shevchenko, he gained admission to the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.

He traveled widely and returned to Ukraine in 1886, where he taught and contributed to the founding of the Kyiv Art School. He later moved to Italy for health reasons and died there in 1914.

This painting intentionally chosen for its Quixotic imagery. It is located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.