il cimento

Whale watching in Tromsø, Norway.

Aleksey & Yurii, Lviv (Ukraine, 2018).

A few years ago, in Lviv, Ukraine, I stopped this man to take his photo. Aleksey introduced himself as a retired physicist still eagerly working on a few scientific papers. That evening Aleksey invited me home to meet his lovely wife. As if we had known each other for years, we spent time talking about the contact points between our accademic backgrounds, in geology and physics.

But Aleksey ("genius", as the sign on the door behind him certifies) held more surprises for me that evening. He got himself ready to get out and took me on a visit to his best friend.

Yurii, also a retired physicist, spent much of his life producing thousands of masterfully executed drawings, that almost no one has ever had the pleasure to see. About 80 years old, Yurii was still drawing from dawn to late night. Aleksey knew I'd appreciate getting to know his friend. Yurii stroke me as a real genius, having other artistic talents beside drawing. I was in total awe and felt like I was sitting in front of another Leonardo da Vinci. Yurii's work isn't displayed on Instagram, Facebook or web-sites and has never been exhibited in galleries. His living space and his studio were one.