Sheet 'O' from the album 'Ukrainian alphabet' 1917

Curator: This is Sheet 'O' from the 'Ukrainian alphabet' created in 1917 by Heorhiy Narbut, an etching in ink on paper. Editor: Stark. It's austere but incredibly dynamic, isn't it? That bounding donkey – so lean and full of implied movement – juxtaposed against the harsh landscape and military figures... Curator: The dynamism certainly grabs attention. I’m drawn to the interplay between the simplified forms of the animal and the highly detailed textures of the landscape. Notice how Narbut uses lines of varying thickness to create depth. Semiotically speaking, these sharp delineations operate as visual cues directing our eyes. Editor: Absolutely, but I wonder about that historical moment. 1917... Ukraine in the throes of revolution and war. How might that donkey function as a symbol within that context? The artist shows an animal escaping, a land guarded by a tree figure with visible military weaponry, it seems suggestive of the artist's own potential fears surrounding protecting a Ukrainian identity during such conflict? Curator: It's tempting to read symbolic weight into every element. I see the forms themselves conveying a specific graphic identity—Narbut was trying to establish a specifically Ukrainian style of art that built off its traditions and aesthetics. You have folk imagery juxtaposed with geometric form on the lower registers, and with a spare militaristic theme for a Ukrainian identity within an ever present armed conflict. It seems Narbut's "O" is in conflict itself. Editor: I agree that establishing a Ukrainian visual aesthetic, reclaiming visual history as its own narrative, would have been a central concern for Narbut during the burgeoning independence movement. Note the letter "O" decorated as a circle of wreath itself – the reclamation and beauty of Ukrainian folklore as identity itself. Curator: Regardless of the political allegory, there is undeniable artistic brilliance. The precision of the etching, the deliberate composition and interplay between dark and light all contribute to the impact this work has. Editor: Precisely, and by situating it within its historical moment we illuminate its deeper complexities. It prompts us to ask questions not only about Narbut’s technical brilliance but also about his place in history.