Mascaron 1990

Editor: So, this is "Mascaron" by Oleg Holosiy, created in 1990. It looks like a drawing using pastel and coloured pencil. My first impression is it feels raw and almost primal, with that simple, bold outline. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It sings to me of origins, of archetypes bubbling up from the collective unconscious. Holosiy’s 'Mascaron' is more than just a face, it is a vessel for raw emotion rendered in childlike simplicity. Look at the directness of line, almost aggressively rendered against that ground. I sense a yearning there, a grasping at some fundamental truth. Editor: I get that. It’s interesting how such a simple image can feel so intense. The large head and tiny body emphasize the face. Do you think that distortion has any significance? Curator: Absolutely! Distortion often unlocks something vital. In elongating the face and shrinking the body, Holosiy draws our attention to the seat of expression, the place where thought becomes feeling. We are confronted not with a whole person, but with the very essence of their being made visible. Perhaps it mirrors a fragmented self, or maybe it shows a feeling dominating all. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered, focusing on emotional dominance. I was too focused on the seemingly naive style, and maybe missed the deeper intent. Curator: It’s a common first reaction. It's a clever trick Holosiy plays - drawing us in with childlike representation and then unsettling us with complex feeling. You know, that is what makes it a fascinating and powerful work of art, I find.