From Daily Art Magazine:
Viktor Zaretsky is often called the Ukrainian Gustav Klimt. In fact, the influence of Klimt in the artworks of this Ukrainian artist is quite obvious. This does not mean that he just copied the works of the Austrian painter; instead, he developed his own artistic language making his paintings unique.
Zaretsky was a 20th-century Ukrainian artist. As well as his wife, Alla Horska, he was one of the “Sixtiers.” This is a name given in Ukraine to the 1960s group of artists who rejected the principles of Socialist Realism with their creativity and refused to let their artworks (paintings, poems, plays, etc.) serve the interests of the Soviet authorities.
The Sixtiers were part of the dissident movement. They advocated the development of the Ukrainian language and culture as a whole. Therefore, this group of artists laid the foundations for the realization of the rights of the Ukrainian people to their own statehood. That is why the Sixtiers were often followed, summoned for questioning, arrested, and often sent to the penal colonies.
