Rome-23 2020

Editor: This is Pavlo Makov’s "Rome-23," a drawing from 2020 created with ink on paper. The image is surprisingly linear, like a broken architectural plan, despite being a landscape. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The compositional elements immediately stand out. Notice how Makov juxtaposes the geometric rigidity of the lines with the organic shapes dotted along their path, and the strategic scattering of natural elements, like the bird in flight. It's a calculated tension. What effect do you think the monochromatic palette has on our perception? Editor: It definitely enhances the starkness and focuses attention on the lines and shapes, the contrast gives the composition its structural strength. I’m curious about the placement of the object on the far right—does it imply something about the other modules? Curator: Interesting observation. It appears as an apparatus; its geometry, coupled with its placement, offers a visual conclusion, while drawing attention back to the linear progression as a methodological pursuit to rationalized objects. Editor: So, would you say the drawing creates a deliberate interplay between natural and constructed elements? Curator: Precisely. The drawing utilizes semiotics in the linear language, offering its own logic system. The balance and repetition throughout produce its intended result of offering this interpretation. The bird, while natural, doesn’t counter this logic; it provides continuation along a trajectory, if you will. Editor: It's fascinating how focusing on the formal elements unlocks so many layers of meaning. Curator: Indeed. Close observation reveals the deliberate strategies an artist employs to convey complex ideas through form. Editor: Thank you for that detailed observation. I'll consider these formal qualities with future art encounters. Curator: A painting presents itself. You must present yourself to a painting. Remember that, and you will always succeed.