Heated tiles 1983

Yuriy Khymych made "Heated Tiles" using oil on canvas, and what a title, right? It makes me think of Cezanne, who was always trying to get the heat of the South of France into his paintings. I can imagine Yuriy standing in front of the canvas, brush loaded, figuring out how to make those ochre hills and the sienna roofs vibrate with light. The paint looks pretty thin, not too much texture, more like stains bleeding into each other. Each brushstroke feels deliberate, almost like he’s building the landscape piece by piece, tile by tile. And the deep blue outlines, they bring a moody energy. It’s like he’s saying, "Okay, world, I see you, but I’m gonna give you my own spin." Artists do that, you know? They take what’s there and twist it, push it, until it’s something totally new. The conversation between painters across time is one big, beautiful mess of ideas, inspiring each other. It's an ongoing game of telephone!