White Bellflowers 2005

Curator: Let’s spend a moment contemplating Tetyana Yablonska’s "White Bellflowers," created in 2005. It’s a watercolor that just exudes… stillness. Editor: Yes, still and delicate. I see this wash of greens and subtle blues cradling the ethereal whites of the flowers. What kind of paper do you think she worked on to achieve such transparency? It almost dissolves into nothing. Curator: That’s it exactly! The watercolor's almost dreamlike, as if plucked straight from a memory rather than observed in reality. You know, Yablonska's work often returned to folk themes and landscapes, capturing the soulful beauty of nature with a touch of, well, raw intimacy. Editor: Intimacy indeed, it reminds me of artists sourcing their own materials, or making their own paints; of the real, physical, human involvement in its creation. The plant matter at the work’s core is transformed through the application of material knowledge and skill – in a very accessible medium. Curator: Precisely. And look at the looseness of the strokes. There's a spontaneity here, an impressionistic energy. It’s less about botanical accuracy, and more about evoking a feeling, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely. I appreciate how the unworked ground shines through—you can really trace the marks left by her brush and hands, understanding what came first, and where she labored the most—so much about its construction is visible. It creates its own subtle textures… Curator: So true – this is a dialogue between medium and object, then? And, I think, a poignant one, offering not just a pretty floral scene, but a whisper of life’s fleeting beauty – its impermanence. Editor: Yes, there’s a certain humbleness, a reduction to fundamentals. The production of flowers to their most abstracted – through the material capacities available. Curator: A rather lovely reduction though, don't you think? It somehow encapsulates the enduring magic of these white bellflowers. Editor: Indeed. In all their artless presentation they inspire thought on process.