The traditional Christmas opening day lasts in the saloon of the National Union of Ukrainian artists in Poltava. Famous masters of brush – Honored Ukrainian artists Nikolay Podhorny and Serhey Hnoevoy. the elder of Poltava painting Victor Trohimets – Milyutin, as well as young artists, Nataliya Korf, Vyacheslav Korkishko, Denis Horodnichy, Nataliya Dihtyar and others, who have already confidently declared of it.Orthodox priest father Yury, blessed this opening day. He said that the pictures, where we see the crosses on the domes of temples reminded us. The Godis with us. In the hope of Him, we will rejoice at festivals and life in spite of crisis.

Yury Samiylenko, the Chairman of Poltava organization of the National Union of Ukrainian Artists initiated Christmas and Easter exhibitions in Poltava. It was difficult to select pictures for the 1-st Christmas Exhibition (almost twenty years ago) – the artists almost had no thematic paintings.Now we see how much the artists have developed spiritually. Roman Ruhalov, a carver, took part in the 1-st, Christmas exhibition in Poltava, later he was invited to make an iconostasis for Uspensky Cathedral of Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra. He also carved the iconostasis for Poltava Krestovozdvizhensky monastery –one of the best, if not the best iconostasis in Ukraine.

Serhey Hnoevoy, the Honoured Artist of Ukraine, said about Yuri Pankevich`s work, presented in the exposure, that it tried to keep step with a high – quality icon. Therefore this master has a great future. Serhey noted that both Roman and Yury had started at Christmas exhibitions. Spirituality of the artists has developed to a considerable extent thanks to these exhibitions. It`s wonderful that tradition in progress.