Illustration to the collection of poems by M. Bazhan 'Legacy' 1978

This illustration was made by Hryhorii Havrylenko, its for a collection of poems by M. Bazhan called 'Legacy'. The approach to mark-making here is so interesting; it’s like a dance between intention and accident, creating a space where the image almost assembles itself. Look at the physicality of the medium; the texture seems almost printed, with flat blocks of colour, and there's no sense of illusionism, as if the scene is constructed out of shapes and forms on a single plane. The colour palette is so reductive and bold: black, blue and red shapes are placed side by side to form the composition, like Matisse cut outs. Notice how the figures are placed in the crowd, with the red ones pushed forward as if being celebrated. This use of colour reminds me of Russian constructivist art, but the arrangement of the figures makes me think of Philip Guston, with its narrative and symbolic dimension.