Portrait 1986

Oleg Holosiy made this self-titled portrait using oil paint. The thick, almost sculptural application of paint suggests an urgent need to capture the essence of the subject. Holosiy’s mark making reveals more about process than the figure he’s representing. Take a look at the mark beneath the subject's chin: it's a visceral dab of green that doesn't so much describe a shadow as it embodies the act of seeing. The colors are dark, tending towards black and brown, but then, out of nowhere, a slash of yellow, a dab of green, a hint of blue—little jolts of energy. Holosiy's paintings remind me of Auerbach, with their shared commitment to the materiality of paint. Holosiy embraces ambiguity, leaving the door open for multiple interpretations.