Mykóla Nóvikov is a Ukrainian artist, he was a representative of the unofficial art of Odésa. Born in Moscow in 1935, he was an orphan. From the 1960s until the end of his days, he studied, worked and lived in Odésa. He tried to study at the Odésa Art School named after M. B. Grekov, and did not get a full education, but was a talented representative of the underground. He was imprisoned many times for vagrancy.

Mykola Novikov had his special style of graphics, which combined sacred and prison symbols: nimbus framed by barbed wire, crooked churches, innocent babies and prisoners — an iconography of the social bottom.

The artist embodied the art piece “Return of Recanted” with oil on plywood. The materials used, the rather large (38×30 cm) size of the painting and the presence of a title are very rare for this author. These features emphasise the importance of this work for Nóvikov.

The created image is similar to an icon. In the foreground to the right, we can see the upper part of a figure with a crowd beyond. Everybody has a golden halo around their heads. 

Many domes of churches with Orthodox crosses can be seen in the background. And behind the main figure is a large cathedral. In the background there are mountains and a sky dotted with clouds.

On the back of the painting, the artist wrote: “Nóvikov M.Ya., born on August 27, 1935, Moscow, eternal vagabond, former foster child of an orphanage in Kazan city, spent 3 years in juvenile prison and 5 years in adult prison, failed artist. I am asking you, my friend, if you do not respect me, respect our working Slavs. May your family and the honour of the Russian people live forever.”

It draws attention that all the Forsaken stand back to the temples. Probably, despite their holiness, they found themselves not needed in this world and had to go away. Such a work is a verdict on the Soviet system, with its inhumane attitude towards its citizens.