The Fourth 'Book of Schemes'. Album #2, the First Folder 1978

Valerii Lamakh made this painting, 'The Fourth 'Book of Schemes'. Album #2, the First Folder', with what looks like gouache, and pencil maybe, as part of a larger series of works. Look at the way the paint sits on the page, thick in some parts, thin in others, a push and pull that makes me think about artmaking as a journey, not just a destination. The texture is really interesting here, the surface feels kind of chalky, almost like it absorbs the light. I'm drawn to the way Lamakh uses color—primary, bright, and unapologetic. Check out the green vertical lines, how they bleed a bit, like watercolors, and the confident arrowheads that mark the ends. These marks create a structure, but it’s a loose one, with a handmade quality. It reminds me a bit of Paul Klee's pedagogical sketchbook, where he explores the fundamentals of visual language, but with a more personal, idiosyncratic twist. Ultimately, art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time, and these images invite us to participate in that dialogue, embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.