A Fashist Flew by 2022

Kateryna Lysovenko painted “A Fashist Flew By” with what looks like gouache or watercolor, where the figures softly emerge from a dark background. There's something about the tenderness in the faces and the subtle shifts in tone that create a quiet emotional intensity. I imagine Lysovenko building up the image in layers, each wash of color adding depth and nuance to the figures, maybe searching for a feeling. Notice the way the figures are seated close together. For me the painting evokes a sense of shared experience and support, maybe even a sense of defiance. I think of Alice Neel, who also painted those around her with such directness and humanity, unflinching in her portrayal of vulnerability and resilience. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, aren’t they, and here Lysovenko seems to embrace that ambiguity, that emotional truth, allowing for multiple readings of what it means to be together in times of trouble.