Faces Looking into the Soul: Why Piotr Łucjan's Graphics Are More Than an Exhibition

I have seen many exhibitions, but I was completely unprepared for this. The walls of the hall are fully, continuously covered with graphic portraits of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. The scale leaves a lump in your throat — hundreds of faces, hundreds of eyes looking at you from white sheets of paper.

Here I saw the traveling exhibition of the project "Heroics of Franko's Land: Continuity of Shield Resilience 1916/2026", realized in cooperation with the Sanctuary. And the author of these works is Piotr Łucjan, a contemporary Polish artist from Lublin, a graduate of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.

What this man has done is a true human and artistic feat. He created nearly 600 black-and-white portraits of our defenders: 393 fallen heroes from the Drohobych community and another two hundred from the neighboring Boryslaw, Skhidnytsia, Truskavets, and Medenychi communities.

Most striking is how he did it. Piotr did not simply copy photographs:

"I don't just draw from a photo — that is meaningless," says the artist. "First, I look for information: where the person was born, whether they have a Facebook account, what kind of music they liked... Only when I see and understand this does the portrait acquire meaning. It's as if I pass this person through myself."

Roman Łupijczuk. April 20, 1985, Ternopil Oblast – August 9, 2025, Myrnograd, Pokrovsk Raion.

And he drew them... with an ordinary ballpoint pen. The very same one he always carries with him.

From left to right: Roman Łupijczuk. April 20, 1985, Ternopil Oblast – August 9, 2025, Myrnograd, Pokrovsk Raion; Iwan Bryłowski. July 6, 1990, Drohobych – July 15, 2026, Regional Clinical Hospital - Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine in Kharkiv; Jarosław Jarosz. November 23, 1969, Boryslaw – October 30, 2025, Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast; Wasyl Waskiw. … – July 15, 2026, Holyshivske village, Sumy Raion. Lived in Lukawytsia village (Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast). Graduate of the Emmanuel Mysko Art Lyceum in Pidbuzh; Roman Ferentz. August 22, 1976, Boryslaw – July 11, 2024, Novoselivka village, Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast; Jurij Cicyk. February 21, 1987, Drohobych – July 11, 2026; Pawło Terlendi. March 21, 2003 – April 20, 2026, Novo Pidhorodne.

The peak of this titanic work coincided with a period when Piotr was severely ill: for three months he was in a terrible state, losing consciousness, unable to even sit in a chair, but he kept drawing while lying down. It was a metaphysical battle for every single name, for every line.

Today, he visits the local cemeteries of Franko's land, attending the graves of our fallen men and women, diligently clarifying biographies and compiling obituaries from morning till night.

"I may not be rich, but what I can offer Ukraine — myself, my time, and my work — you can count on that," the artist simply replies.

Piotr Łucjan is a phenomenally profound Master. His graphic pen turned out to be sharper and more enduring than any political slogans. Through his portraits, into which he poured a piece of his own health and life, he fulfills the highest mission — restoring to the fallen their living human face, and to us — our memory.

His graphics are not about frozen classics or dry academic drawing. It is an extraordinary magic of line and shadow. Every stroke of the pencil or ink by Piotr Łucjan seems so alive, as if the artist captured not merely facial features, but caught the subtle nuances of the human soul — a breath, a doubt, a slight smile, or hidden pain.

There is no museum "slickness" in these portraits — instead, there is incredible psychological depth and warmth. One gets the impression that the artist sees right through people, yet looks at them with great love and respect. Standing beside these works, you want to stop, slow your pace, and just remain silent, gazing into the details.

Today, when shortsighted politicians on both sides of the border sometimes so easily destroy bridges between nations, speculate on disputes, and sow discord, it is precisely such genuine, quiet, and selfless art that rebuilds those bridges. Piotr Łucjan cements the bond between Ukrainians and Poles not through diplomatic notes, but through the shared aching of the heart. And this monumental construction of the spirit can no longer be torn down by any political winds.