Grand Scheme of Half Impulse 1984

Oleksandr Aksinin made this artwork of layered geometric forms sometime before 1985, but I am not quite sure when. I can only imagine the artist working on this square format, with its complex interplay of shapes and colors, and the tiny written script scattered across the top. The process must have been a kind of meditative act, building up layers of meaning and association. It's intriguing how Aksinin combines precise, hard-edged forms with these almost scribbled notations. The writing seems to offer a kind of counterpoint to the geometry, injecting a sense of personal narrative or coded message into the work. The diamond shape is bisected by a deep ultramarine blue, and a central green triangle, complete with alchemical signs, anchors the entire composition. I love how the artist’s hand is so present in this piece; I feel like he's whispering secrets to us. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint or Paul Klee, artists also trying to chart unseen dimensions. You can just feel how painting is this incredibly embodied expression, and that there is ambiguity and uncertainty, leaving room for all kinds of interpretations.