Mountain geometry 1970

Editor: This is Yuriy Khymych’s "Mountain Geometry," painted in 1970 using oil paints. The rigid blocks and lines that define the building and landscape give it an almost graphic quality, very grounded and still. It almost feels… nostalgic, if that makes sense. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Nostalgic resonates! Khymych presents a memory – a stylized snapshot of time. I'm drawn to how he simplifies the landscape, transforming mountains into these tiered geometric shapes, which creates an amazing tension between representation and abstraction. Notice the way he’s used these dark blue outlines! It's like he's literally framing these ancient scenes, preserving them on the canvas, don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely! I see that now. So is this tension between abstract and representation a Modernist idea? Curator: Modernism relished experimentation! But it also deeply engaged with history. Look at the subject: isn't it striking, the placement of something ancient, maybe even crumbling – yet holding this central position within a very contemporary style? What does that make you wonder about? Editor: Hmmm… it makes me think about how the past always shapes the present, even when we try to create something new and modern. And how different artistic lenses change what is seen or unseen. Curator: Beautifully said! And perhaps that’s what Khymych hoped for all along: to nudge us into seeing history not as something dead, but as something that breathes alongside us. What is our "today" but a sum of all "yesterdays?" Editor: It's a beautiful thought. This definitely gave me a different perspective. Curator: And it's always so rewarding to experience an art piece through others' eyes. It's the best part of art, wouldn't you agree?