Where the Lilac Bloomed

'Where the Lilac Bloomed' is a 16 x 20 oil on canvas by Lena Khvichia. Using mainly shades of dark blue and a couple hints of reddish brown and green, Khvichia creates an abstract work that adheres to the importance of color. The various densities of paint throughout the composition create a blotchy look which showcases the different values of blue. The bit of reddish brown that Khvichia uses is faint and only seen in a couple small areas of the composition, specifically towards the top right and top center of the work. In the center and lower half of the work, Khvichia uses a hint of white and black on top of the blue to help define the different values within the piece. The greenish hues are in the lower half of the work as well, with one small area exhibiting a defined color differential between the dark blue and white/green haze of color. It appears as though Khvichia uses a sort of masking technique to layer and create different color values while also helping to define her strokes, creating a sense of uniformity in her marks. This work exhibits the aesthetic importance of experimenting with color tints and hues and how these design choices reflect the principals of abstraction.

Lena Khvichia reveals herself as a creative and undoubtedly gifted painter, interpreting Lithuanian coloristic painting tradition and abstract painting aesthetics in her own manner. She is an emotional artist: however her works are very constructive and well balanced in terms of composition, which disciplines, her hand's movements, and broad strokes. Lena Khvichia’s works, usually beings of tranquil surface facture, never seem flat, are seen as having depth, a third dimension, even though the paintings only vaguely imply the objects of the real world. The expressive layer can be recognized to a certain extent even in her most abstract works—mostly the reflections of subconscious impressions and moods experienced by the author.