Houses above the water. Stebliv (?) 1956

'Houses above the water. Stebliv' is a quick landscape captured by Hryhorii Havrylenko in pen and ink. Look at how much information Havrylenko conveys with just a few confident marks, a process of editing and refining the image that feels very modern. Notice the contrast between the densely hatched foreground, and the clear open sky. The dark, almost frantic scribbles of the water, plants and shadows draw you in. The eye then travels up and over the horizon line with its sparse, calm elegance. I wonder if Havrylenko was inspired by Japanese woodblock prints? The composition has a similar sensibility, a balance between detail and open space. It reminds us that art isn't about perfection, but about seeing and feeling. It's an ongoing conversation across cultures, embracing different ways of interpreting the world.