"Samuel Linley" after Gainsborough Painting

I am a Ukrainian-born painter currently based in Madrid. I was born in Donbas, a place of both beauty and fragility, and my art is deeply connected to memory, light and the value of human life. My artistic language combines impressionistic color and atmosphere with classical drawing and emotional realism. I work mainly with oil, pastel and mixed media, exploring how light shapes form, mood and the inner state of a person or landscape. For me, nature and the human soul reflect each other. Whether I paint a portrait, a landscape or a still life, I search for the living energy within – something honest, vulnerable and timeless. Over the years I have developed a strong mastery of color, composition and anatomy, allowing me to move freely between expressive brushwork and precise form. My influences include Monet, Sargent, Russian impressionists, and classical masters such as Velázquez and Rembrandt. My work has been exhibited internationally and is held in private collections in Europe and North America. I believe art is a way to preserve humanity, to transform personal experience into something universal, and to bring light into the world.