Collage from the book 'Bratyna' 2002

Volodymyr Loboda made this collage with paper for his book 'Bratyna'. I love seeing how artists decide on their palette, and the choice of red against black here is so effective. It creates a vivid contrast that really makes you sit up and take notice. Looking closely, you can see the textures of the paper and how the different shapes are pieced together. There’s a beautiful rawness to the edges, where Loboda hasn’t tried to hide the process of cutting and pasting. The flat planes of colour remind me of Matisse's cut-outs, but there's a different feel, a sense of storytelling through shapes. Take for example, the figure on the right, how the suggestion of a beak and claw are formed through a few artful snips, bringing the character to life. This approach reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue across time and between artists, where ideas are borrowed, transformed, and given new life.