Composition 1969

Curator: This graphite drawing is simply called “Composition.” Hryhorii Havrylenko created it in 1969. At first sight, it's a dense field of straight lines, like a cityscape seen from above on a very hazy day. Editor: Hazy is the word. It gives me a strangely hypnotic feeling, almost dizzying. The stark contrast and repetitive nature of the marks clearly took considerable focused labor. I wonder what kind of tools or guides were used? Curator: The lack of color directs our focus straight to the geometry and spatial relationships at play. The symbols used may remind one of urban spaces or circuit boards – a structured, organized world. Perhaps it's a projection of mid-century society's fascination with control and order in the face of unprecedented change. Editor: Organized, but also strangely chaotic. It's this tension that draws me in. You can sense a human hand laboriously at work here, even with its geometric language, which reminds us about the increasing mechanization of work in factories throughout this period. Curator: And perhaps that dichotomy between manual creation and rigid structure hints at the artist’s psychological space. The geometric repetition offers the sense of controlled stability in an era of intense change in Ukrainian identity. Editor: Thinking about those materials and that context is everything to understanding art. This seemingly abstract drawing really tells us much more than we might think about how art records the times through the lives and actions of people like Havrylenko. Curator: Indeed, there’s something intensely human embedded within what may seem like an exercise in abstraction. It makes me question whether any line truly exists independently. Editor: Right, art reminds us that even seemingly repetitive or even oppressive systems require materials and human actions to maintain. And the choices those people make offer ways to change them.