- Title: Ukrainian pensioner turns his small home into fantasy gallery
- Date: 19th November 2016
- Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 19, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR APARTMENT BLOCK ENTRANCE TO BUILDING LAMP ON WALL IN HALLWAY INSIDE BUILDING HALLWAY ELEVATOR BUTTON ELEVATOR DOORS KIEV, UKRAINE (NOVEMBER 18, 2016) (REUTERS) DECORATOR, VOLODYMYR CHAYKA, WALKING OUT OF HIS APARTMENT TO HALLWAY DECORATED BY PAINTINGS' REPLICAS AND MOULDING REPLICA OF WOMAN'S PORTRAIT IN FRAME CHAYKA IN HALLWAY LOOKING AT REPLICA VARIOUS OF REPLICA OF MONA LISA BY ITALIAN PAINTER, LEONARDO DA VINCI, ON WALL CHAYKA WALKING DOWNSTAIRS, PASSING BY WALL DECORATED WITH MOULDING AND REPLICAS OF WOMEN'S PORTRAITS REPLICA OF WOMAN'S PORTRAIT IN FRAME (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DECORATOR, VOLODYMYR CHAYKA, SAYING: "I am told that it resembles the 17-18th century. But it's my style, I did not choose anything. Yes, I admired moulding everywhere. Wherever I come, first thing I look at is the interior - especially in antique buildings. When I come to the theater, I always look at moulding." MOULDED ELEMENT OF DECORATION (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DECORATOR, VOLODYMYR CHAYKA, SAYING: "Moulding itself is time-consuming, but it brings joy. Just imagine it - while I am moulding, I look at it and I can see it will work. Then when I start painting, it looks even better, it starts playing with colours." CHAYKA'S REFLECTION IN GLASS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DECORATOR, VOLODYMYR CHAYKA, SAYING: "I love women. That's why my plan is a gallery of women's portraits. If I or someone continues, I will advise that next floors must be decorated with nature, then paintings depicting daily life. I like daily life very much." REPLICA OF NATALIA GONCHAROVA'S PORTRAIT BY RUSSIAN PAINTER, ALEXANDR BRYULLOV DECORATED WALL AND CEILING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DECORATOR, VOLODYMYR CHAYKA, SAYING: "After I retired, I have more time. I spent 10-12 hours (working here), sometimes I worked at night. I was redoing it. It happened that I went to bed and then woke up to redo everything because I realised that it wouldn't suit that way and I need to redo it. I made this ceiling for four times." OWL FIGURE PAINTED IN GOLD VARIOUS OF UKRAINIAN PAINTER, VALERIY GRACHOV, THROWING GARBAGE AWAY INTO CHUTE VARIOUS OF ATLANTE FIGURES PAINTED IN GOLD AT GARBAGE CHUTE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) UKRAINIAN PAINTER, VALERIY GRACHOV, SAYING: "White with gold and blue is a classic combination which you can see in our Kiev palaces. That's why this combination is always going to be successful." LION SCULPTURE PAINTED IN GOLD WOMAN WALKING OUT OF APARTMENT, WALKING DOWNSTAIRS WOMAN GETTING INTO DECORATED ELEVATOR
- Embargoed: 4th December 2016 14:46
- Keywords: Ukraine Kiev apartment block decoration portrait palace moulding
- Location: KIEV, UKRAINE
- City: KIEV, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001593ZAS9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Ukraine's capital Kiev still bears hints of its Soviet Union history with tall, featureless, multi-storey apartment blocks around the city that have a corridor inside that leads to the doors of each flat. But one Ukrainian man has found a novel way to bring colour into his daily life - turning the long corridor into an elaborate work of art.
Dubbed by locals as the 'Kiev Versailles', many are now flocking to pay the pensioner a visit in his home - turning it into a tourist hotspot. Kiev residents have been travelling to the apartment block in the outskirts of Kiev to catch a glimpse of the house that turns into a fantasy once the doors are opened.
The inside of the once dull gray building now mimics the interiors found in stunning palaces of old - with imitations of famous pieces of art adorning the wall.
Pensioner Volodymyr Chayka says his makeover of the building saw him repainting the walls, clearing up hanging wires from the ceiling and removing cracked lamps from the wall.
Chayka says he has loved art since he was a child and has spent his life dreaming of being surrounded by beauty and nature.
"I am told that it resembles the 17-18th century. But it's my style, I did not choose anything. Yes, I admired moulding everywhere. Wherever I come, first thing I look at is the interior - especially in antique buildings. When I come to the theater, I always look at moulding," Chayka told Reuters.
Initially he wanted to decorate the walls with portraits of beautiful women, but Chayka says he soon changed his mind and became interested in moulding - giving birth to the idea of creating a small private personal gallery.
Chayka's daughter went in search of dozens of masterpieces to impress her father. Only 14 pieces, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, were carefully selected by the aging pensioner to decorate the walls of his dream corridor.
Having never laid eyes on the original masterpieces, Chayka said he loved all portraits, but his favorite is Natalia Goncharova by Russia's Alexander Bryullov and Mona Lisa - both of which impressed him when he was a little boy.
The Ukrainian dreamer's two adult children supported their father's newfound interest, supplying him with necessary materials, alabaster and paint, while Chayka's wife bought him stairs to help paint the ceiling.
The 65-year old former construction worker uses up to 40 frames to create extravagant ornaments and then covers them with colour.
"Moulding itself is time-consuming, but it brings joy. Just imagine it - while I am moulding, I look at it and I can see it will work. Then when I start painting, it looks even better, it starts playing with colours."
Chayka's main art advisers are his neighbours, amongst whom is Ukrainian painter and architect Valeriy Grachov.
"White with gold and blue is a classic combination which you can see in our Kiev palaces. That's why this combination is always doomed to be successful," Grachov said.
A perfectionist - Chayka says he has had to redo some parts of his in-house museum painting several times. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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