Female image in nature 1964

This "Female image in nature" is a watercolour by Hryhorii Havrylenko, probably made sometime in the mid twentieth century. Look at the way Havrylenko builds the image with simple marks and blocks of translucent colour - it’s like he’s feeling his way through the picture, one colour at a time. Up close, you can see how the watery paint bleeds softly into the paper, creating these gentle, blurred edges. The colours are muted, almost pastel-like. The woman's face has a quiet, contemplative expression, but for me it's the background that stands out; a mosaic of greens, blues, and purples. Each one is distinct, yet together they suggest the vibrancy of nature. This piece reminds me of Milton Avery, with its focus on simplified forms and harmonious colour relationships. But where Avery often aimed for a certain flatness, Havrylenko embraces the watercolour's natural tendencies toward fluidity and depth. Ultimately, Havrylenko’s painting is all about the beauty of ambiguity.