Cypresses and Head 2008

Pavlo Makov made Cypresses and Head with ink on paper, and what hits me first is the sheer repetition of the cypresses, like a forest of thoughts. I can imagine Makov, pen in hand, lost in the meditative act of drawing each tree, each one slightly different, slightly imperfect, just like real life. The ink bleeds and pools, creating depth and shadow. I'm reminded of Agnes Martin and her grids, or maybe Vija Celmins' obsessive rendering of the ocean's surface, all artists who find something monumental in simple gestures. And then there's the head, hovering in the center like a ghostly presence. Is it a memory? An apparition? The trees, like a protective guard around it. This piece feels like a conversation between the conscious and unconscious.