Abstract composition 1963

This is Hryhorii Havrylenko’s abstract composition, made with ink on paper. Havrylenko was born in Ukraine in 1927, a turbulent time marked by Soviet policies that deeply affected Ukrainian culture and identity. The artwork presents a series of ambiguous forms, rendered in stark black lines against a white background. The composition resists easy interpretation, inviting us to project our own meanings onto its enigmatic shapes. Havrylenko's choice to work in abstraction can be seen as a response to the restrictive artistic climate of his time, where socialist realism was the dominant style. Abstraction allowed artists like Havrylenko to express themselves in ways that were less overtly political, yet still deeply personal and reflective of their inner worlds. Consider how the artwork feels: Do you perceive it as chaotic or harmonious, unsettling or serene? The ambiguity of the forms may mirror the complexities and uncertainties of life under political oppression, where truth and reality are often obscured.