Portrait 1962

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this portrait with ink, and it's a dance of wet and dry. Look at how he’s built up the face with layers of washes, letting the ink bleed and flow. I can imagine him, maybe in a small studio, quickly moving the brush, trying to capture something elusive. What was he thinking, looking at his model? Notice the contrast where the face meets the hair. It's almost like he's playing with positive and negative space, letting the darkness of the ink define the shape of the face. It’s amazing how a few quick strokes around the eyes and mouth can bring a face to life. It's a simple painting, but it reminds me of artists like Marlene Dumas, who can say so much with just a few marks. Artists are always in conversation across time, aren't they? This one shows us how a portrait doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful.