Female image 1975

Hryhorii Havrylenko’s “Female Image,” is a drawing that exists as a series of quick decisions. Look at how lightly it sits on the page, how the lines barely describe the subject. It's almost like he's daring us to see it. I can only imagine the artist making this drawing. With very few lines Havrylenko has managed to evoke a whole character. The way the lines of the mouth are drawn, with those small dashes, is amazing, giving her a kind of pursed, quizzical look. The drawing calls to mind other artists working around the same time, people like Giacometti who were also exploring the possibilities of line. I love the way the artist’s line doesn't try to capture anything, but instead, it just keeps things open. It doesn't tell us what to think, which means we get to participate, too.