Abstract composition 1962

Curator: Let's focus now on this intriguing "Abstract composition" by Hryhorii Havrylenko, created in 1962. It's currently held in a private collection. Immediately, I'm drawn to the artist's deliberate focus on the material—ink on paper. Editor: It reminds me of an architect's daydream—a city rendered not in stone but in frantic scribbles, both precise and utterly free. I almost hear the scratching of the pen as the artist worked. Curator: Precisely! The labour is visible. Ink, as a medium, carries its own history of documentation, challenging high art’s preciousness. The repetition of geometric shapes hints at mass production even as the individual strokes betray the hand of the artist. Think about Ukrainian Modernism in the 60's. This challenges the division between individual expression and collective experience. Editor: There's a nervous energy in that hatching and those stacked blocks, like something’s about to either collapse or take off! I feel an urge to dive right into that maze, but also a bit of claustrophobia. A lovely tension. Curator: Exactly! Havrylenko, with the materials at his disposal, comments on the constraints and opportunities of post-war Ukraine. Notice, too, the paper itself—slightly discolored and the holes along the top indicate the social element, how this image becomes accessible to a broader group of people due to the easy availability of resources used to make this. Editor: It’s funny how the simplest tools, a pen and paper, can become a landscape for something vast, even disquieting. One mind and one medium. Curator: The accessibility is a major contribution of this piece, one that resonates deeply with today’s discussions of access, resources, and the artist’s role within larger communities. Editor: You’ve given me so much to think about. Thanks. It's just, stunning to witness this process of material engagement become something so potent, emotional.