Oleksandr Saienko worked in the field of monumental and monumental-decorative art, particularly in the technique of straw inlay, and he mastered a wide range of painting techniques: oil, tempera, watercolor. His favorite medium, however, was straw inlay. He is regarded as an innovator in the use of straw: Saienko’s original technique laid the foundation for his recognition not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Through his work he demonstrated that such a material as straw could be used not only for decorating furniture, household objects, and interiors, but also for creating monumental imagery.
Saienko’s paintings — artistically refined and imbued with national and patriotic content — were directly connected with the history of Ukraine, with its heroic and dramatic events, and with the social life of Ukrainians. One of his most renowned works of this kind is the decorative painting Cossack Mamay (1928–1936).
The art of Oleksandr Saienko exemplifies what it means to love one’s land and one’s people. His works, perceived today as stylistically and thematically profound, invite reflection on one’s own destiny and the destiny of the Ukrainian nation.
The artist’s creative legacy comprises more than 500 works of painting, graphic art, monumental and monumental-decorative art, as well as straw inlay, preserved in the National Art Museum of Ukraine and other museum collections in Ukraine and abroad. In the town of Borsna, the Art and Memorial Museum Estate of People’s Artist of Ukraine Oleksandr Saienko was established. In 1999, by decision of UNESCO, the name of Oleksandr Saienko was entered into the list of the world’s outstanding cultural figures.