#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
// #define int long long
// #define double long double
#define rep(i,n) for (int i=0; i<(int)(n); ++i)
#define rep1(i,n) for (int i=1; i<(int)(n); ++i)
#define repeq(i,n) for (int i=0; i<=(int)(n); ++i)
#define rep1eq(i,n) for (int i=1; i<=(int)(n); ++i)
#define rrep(i,n) for (int i=(int)(n)-1; i>=0; --i)
#define rrep1(i,n) for (int i=(int)(n)-1; i>0; --i)
#define rrepeq(i,n) for (int i=(int)(n); i>=0; --i)
#define rrep1eq(i,n) for (int i=(int)(n); i>0; --i)
#define REP(i,a,b) for (int i=(int)(a); i<=(int)(b); ++i)
#define RREP(i,a,b) for (int i=(int)(a); i>=(int)(b); --i)
#define ALL(a) (a).begin(), (a).end()
#define RALL(a) (a).rbegin(), (a).rend()
using ll = long long;
using vi = vector<int>;
using vl = vector<ll>;
using vb = vector<bool>;
template<typename T> using Graph = vector<vector<T>>;
template<typename T> using Spacial = vector<vector<vector<T>>>;
using pii = pair<int, int>;
using pll = pair<ll, ll>;
template<typename T> using greater_priority_queue = priority_queue<T, vector<T>, greater<T>>;
const int MOD = 1e9+7;
const int MOD2 = 998244353;
// const double EPS = 1e-9;
const int dx[4] = {1, 0, -1, 0};
const int dy[4] = {0, 1, 0, -1};
string interval[2] = {" ", "\n"}; // {" ", "\n"}

template<typename T> struct is_plural : false_type{};
template<typename T1, typename T2> struct is_plural<pair<T1, T2>> : true_type{};
template<typename T> struct is_plural<vector<T>> : true_type{};
template<typename T> struct is_plural<complex<T>> : true_type{};
template<> struct is_plural<string> : true_type{};
 
template<typename T1, typename T2> istream &operator>>(istream &is, pair<T1, T2> &p) { return is >> p.first >> p.second; }
template<typename T1, typename T2> ostream &operator<<(ostream &os, const pair<T1, T2> &p) { return os << p.first << " " << p.second; }
template<typename T> istream &operator>>(istream &is, vector<T> &vec) { for (auto itr = vec.begin(); itr != vec.end(); ++itr) is >> *itr; return is; }
template<typename T> ostream &operator<<(ostream &os, const vector<T> &vec) { if (vec.empty()) return os; bool pl = is_plural<T>(); os << vec.front(); for (auto itr = ++vec.begin(); itr != vec.end(); ++itr) os << interval[pl] << *itr; return os; }
 
bool CoutYN(bool a, string y = "Yes", string n = "No") { cout << (a ? y : n) << "\n"; return a; }

template<typename T1, typename T2> inline bool chmax(T1 &a, T2 b) { return a < b && (a = b, true); }
template<typename T1, typename T2> inline bool chmin(T1 &a, T2 b) { return a > b && (a = b, true); }

long long modpow(int a, long long n, int mod = MOD) { long long ret = 1; do { if (n & 1) ret = ret * a % mod; a = 1LL * a * a % mod; } while (n >>= 1); return ret; }

template<typename T> T GCD(T a, T b) { return b ? GCD(b, a%b) : a; }
template<typename T> T LCM(T a, T b) { return a / GCD(a, b) * b; }

template<typename T1, typename T2> bool CompareBySecond(pair<T1, T2> a, pair<T1, T2> b) { return a.second != b.second ? a.second < b.second : a.first < b.first; }
template<typename T1, typename T2> bool CompareByInverse(pair<T1, T2> a, pair<T1, T2> b) { return a.first != b.first ? a.first < b.first : a.second > b.second; }


/* -------- <templates end> -------- */


void solve() {
  int n, m, a, b; cin >> n >> m >> a >> b;

  vector<string> ans(n, string(m, '.'));

  if ((n & 1) && (m & 1)) {
    for (int j=0; j<m-1; j+=2) {
      if (!a) break;
      ans[0][j] = '<';
      ans[0][j+1] = '>';
      --a;
    }
    for (int i=0; i<n-1; i+=2) {
      if (!b) break;
      ans[i][m-1] = '^';
      ans[i+1][m-1] = 'v';
      --b;
    }

    if (!CoutYN((a + b) * 2 <= (n-1) * (m-1), "YES", "NO")) return;

    if (a & 1) {
      ans[n-1][m-2] = '<';
      ans[n-1][m-1] = '>';
      --a;
    }
    if (b & 1) {
      ans[n-2][m-3] = '^';
      ans[n-1][m-3] = 'v';
      --b;
    }

    for (int i=1; i<n; i+=2) {
      for (int j=0; j<m-1; j+=2) {
        if (a > 0) {
          ans[i][j] = ans[i+1][j] = '<';
          ans[i][j+1] = ans[i+1][j+1] = '>';
          a -= 2;
        } else if (b > 0) {
          ans[i][j] = ans[i][j+1] = '^';
          ans[i+1][j] = ans[i+1][j+1] = 'v';
          b -= 2;
        }
      }
    }

    cout << ans << endl;
    return;
  }

  if (n & 1) {
    for (int j=0; j<m; j+=2) {
      if (!a) break;
      ans[n-1][j] = '<';
      ans[n-1][j+1] = '>';
      --a;
    }
    --n;
  }
  if (m & 1) {
    for (int i=0; i<n; i+=2) {
      if (!b) break;
      ans[i][m-1] = '^';
      ans[i+1][m-1] = 'v';
      --b;
    }
    --m;
  }

  for (int i=0; i<n; i+=2) {
    for (int j=0; j<m-1; j+=2) {
      if (a > 0) {
        ans[i][j] = ans[i+1][j] = '<';
        ans[i][j+1] = ans[i+1][j+1] = '>';
        if ((a -= 2) == -1) ans[i+1][j] = ans[i+1][j+1] = '.';
      } else if (b > 0) {
        ans[i][j] = ans[i][j+1] = '^';
        ans[i+1][j] = ans[i+1][j+1] = 'v';
        if ((b -= 2) == -1) ans[i][j+1] = ans[i+1][j+1] = '.';
      }
    }
  }

  if (CoutYN(a <= 0 && b <= 0, "YES", "NO")) cout << ans << endl;
}


/* -------- <programs end> -------- */


signed main() {
  cin.tie(nullptr);
  ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
  cout << fixed << setprecision(10);
  solve();
  return 0;
}


Measured memory_bytes: 4228