Manifested Sound 1985

Oleksandr Aksinin made this watercolour, Manifested Sound, sometime before 1985, the year of his death. Just look at those wood grain effects. The brown and orange hues, painted in thin layers, give a feeling of warmth. And the ear itself, with all those little dots, it’s like a map, or maybe a constellation. The texture is smooth, almost translucent in places, which adds to the dreamlike quality. The contrasting black sections feel like a void, a space where sound disappears. Notice how the ear overlaps this void, suggesting that sound is both present and absent, both heard and unheard. And that bold blue earring! It's a striking detail that really makes the ear pop. Aksinin's work reminds me of Paul Klee, another artist who used simple forms and delicate colours to explore the mysteries of the human experience. Like Klee, Aksinin invites us to embrace ambiguity and to find meaning in the unexpected.