Angel in the USSR – sacred painting of the Soviet era

Having lived for half a century in the USSR, in 1997, Gostev moved permanently to the European Union. He took the painting, started in 1994, into immigration. A small canvas measuring 30x35 centimeters, with an uncharacteristic style for him, appeared in his European studio six months before his death in 2021. And then it disappeared again, as if unwilling to be included in the legacy catalog.

During renovations in the artist's home, four paintings were found - two by his son, a small cardboard fragment from an older work, and the painting with the Angel.

For close ones, it remained a mystery why these works were placed separately in a specific location.

Uncharacteristic painting.

All found paintings are entirely untypical for the Gostevi family. Created before immigration, they are imbued with sadness. After immigrating from the post-Soviet country, the Gostev family lived in a new, European world, exploring and understanding it. This was a new life outside the paradigms of the past, and it reflected in the mood of their paintings. Deep things like Russian Orthodox culture, literature, music, and creativity remained with the immigrant family as spiritual heritage. And of course, the legacy of Andrei Rublev's iconography, hints of which can be traced in the figure of the Angel in the painting.

Impression of the painting.

The painting is filled with Russia, prayer, and an eternal faith in miracles. A harmonist plays music of his soul by the stove, the Angel listens to the melody or words, and a Russian bear stops at the door of the harmonist's house. The northern forgotten Russian village with its church and severe frost is so remote and desolate that it’s used to bears wandering at night. The artist allegorically added the inscription "USSR" on the accordion, speaking of the Rus' era where life remains unchanged through all times - accordion and prayer, Angel, church and hope, people and bears.

The painting is indescribably touching and filled with miraculous warmth, sanctity from the figure of the Angel.

History of the painting.

The artist treated the painting correctly - once having captured the emotion on canvas, he did not complete it during immigration. The painting remained with the artist like an icon of those times. He did not touch the figure, and likely only the church dome, the sky above it, and the background above the figure of the Angel were completed with a few strokes.

... and then... I stood behind the canvas (like in ancient Russian icons, with their sincerity, reverse perspective, and desire to help)...

- Anatoli Gostev

Signature and Certificate of Authenticity

The painting is signed on the back of the canvas with the artist’s logo and date - AG 94 (Anatoli Gostev 1994). The painting "Angel in the USSR" did not participate in exhibitions. The Art Work is certified on the Bitcoin blockchain. Thanks to this technology, its unique digital signature is permanently recorded in the blockchain, guaranteeing immutable data about its origin, authorship, and current ownership.

The root certificate of authenticity is verified by a COA certificate, which contains data from the root certificate (proof file: .ots). The root certificate of the painting, registered in a block of the Bitcoin blockchain, can be transferred to a new owner only through a signed property transfer agreement — ensuring transparency and trust in any future sale or transfer of the artwork. This makes the painting's authenticity verifiable and valid for the entirety of its existence.