Cobblestones and tiles 1962

Yuriy Khymych created "Cobblestones and tiles" with paint, though I couldn't tell you exactly when. The first thing I notice is that the buildings are built up in blocks, like a child's construction, all angles and edges with hardly a curve in sight. There's something both naive and knowing in the way Khymych handles paint; he doesn't try to hide the brushstrokes, but they’re clean and crisp, like he's set on building this place from scratch. The paint looks smooth, not too thick, with a matte surface that soaks up the light. Look at the way the cobblestones are suggested with simple dabs and dots, each one distinct yet part of a larger pattern, a kind of visual shorthand. It reminds me a little of Fernand Léger, the way he flattened forms and turned people into geometric figures, only with a folksier, more personal touch. It's a testament to how art can borrow and transform, always in conversation with what came before, never quite settling on one answer.