Ritual 1990

Oleg Holosiy made this painting called, Ritual, and looking at those free-floating shapes in the painting, I'm transported. Imagine Holosiy in his studio, layering strokes of yellow, red, and blue. It must have been a dance of intuition and intention, a push and pull between control and letting go. Those repeated, almost glyph-like figures, are they faces, symbols, or something in between? I wonder if they signify a search for meaning, or a personal language. See how the colours blend and clash. Thick textures and thin glazes, an ongoing dialogue that reminds me of other artists such as Basquiat, who were equally invested in creating their own visual language. The entire surface is alive, as if the artist is in a conversation with art history itself. I always think that artists are in an ongoing conversation with the past, and in a way, this piece is proof of that.