Abstract Composition 1970

Here's an ink drawing by Hryhorii Havrylenko, and it's like looking at the inside of someone's mind. There's a lovely freedom in the way these squares and lines are made, so simple and pared back. You can sense the artist improvising, almost like doodling, exploring the possibilities of these shapes and lines, one after another. I can imagine Havrylenko sitting quietly, maybe in a room by himself, just letting his hand move, seeing where it would take him. It's that kind of work that feels deeply personal, where the process is the point, and it becomes a kind of meditation. The way the ink sits on the page, each line so definite and yet so delicate, there’s a quality of humbleness and openness to chance. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin’s grids, or maybe Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, but with a raw, vulnerable edge. Ultimately, artists are always in conversation with each other, even across time, and I like to think of Havrylenko as part of this big, ongoing exchange of ideas and feelings, all expressed through simple marks on a surface.