Sunset 1993

Volodymyr Loboda made this 60 x 80 cm painting, Sunset, with what looks like oil on canvas. I love how the colours sort of hover, not quite blending, yet creating a mood. The texture is smooth in some areas and thick in others, especially around the red structures, maybe buildings, maybe trees. The brushstrokes are really visible. You can almost feel the way Loboda moved the brush, scraping and layering, to build up the forms. Look at the way the blue of the sky is pulled down into the red of the trees. The blue figures feel very small amidst the architecture and nature, dwarfed by the immensity and power of the environment. The way Loboda uses colour reminds me a little of Milton Avery - not so much in the subject matter, but in the simplified forms and the dreamy atmosphere. It's like he’s speaking his own language, and inviting us to dream along with him.