As Russia’s full-scale invasion forces Ukrainians to reconsider history, identity and freedom, the work of artists who have spent decades examining those questions has gained renewed urgency. Among them is Lubomyr Medvid, one of Ukraine’s most prominent contemporary painters, a People’s Artist of Ukraine, a Shevchenko National Prize laureate and a member of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Over more than six decades, Medvid has developed a distinctive artistic language combining biblical symbolism, philosophy, history and psychological insight. His landmark series – “Evacuation, Emigrants, Galician Destinies, Ecce Homo, Terra Incognita, Parables and Reminiscences” – examine freedom, responsibility, faith and the moral choices that define human existence. Working across painting, graphic art, monumental sacred art, poetry and drama, Medvid has consistently returned to one central subject: the human being. The artist turned 85 on July 10. His retrospective exhibition, “With Stroke and Spirit,” opened at Lviv’s Lozinski Palace on July 7 and runs through Aug. 9, bringing together work from the 1960s to the present. Medvid continues to paint, support Ukraine’s Armed Forces and reflect on the moral challenges confronting Ukraine and the wider world. Kyiv Post presents his intellectual monologue, edited for length and clarity. Opening of Lubomyr Medvid’s anniversary exhibition in July 2026. (Image via Borys Voznytsky Lviv National Art Gallery)