Female image 1975

This drawing of a female image was made by Hryhorii Havrylenko, but when, we just don't know. Look at the network of fine lines building this image. Imagine the artist patiently layering them, hatching the face and hair, defining the features through the density of ink. The cross-hatching gives volume, but it also creates a visual hum. I wonder what Havrylenko was thinking as he built this image, line by line. Was he lost in thought, or intensely focused on the emerging portrait? The delicate shading is a world away from the broad strokes of someone like de Kooning, but there is a connection. Each artist searches for an authentic way of seeing, a fresh way to capture the world in marks. This piece is a reminder that the simplest tools, like ink and paper, can become incredibly rich and resonant forms of expression.