Kyiv Lavra. Summer 1990

Yuriy Khymych made Kyiv Lavra. Summer with what looks like oil on canvas, though the specific date is unknown. The scene unfolds with these deliberate, almost architectural marks, that build the image with colour. The textures feel both solid and dreamlike. Take for instance the way the pink outline against a grey area creates a kind of shadow, giving the illusion of depth. It's like Khymych is thinking through the painting, one block of colour at a time. The brushstrokes are visible, and honest; the hand of the artist is always present. The architecture of the Lavra, and the brushstrokes of the painting, create a kind of conversation, a dialogue between different ways of seeing and constructing reality. I'm reminded of Matisse, in the way that colour and form are so intertwined, each informing the other, pushing and pulling the image into being. Art isn’t about definitive answers, but about exploring and embracing the endless possibilities of seeing.