Yellow Plot 1989

Oleg Holosiy made this “Yellow Plot” painting, we don’t know when, using oil on canvas. Look at the layers and the way the image seems to emerge from a dark ground, with these figures appearing to coalesce from the shadows. The colour palette is restrained, mostly greys and yellows, but it's the texture that grabs you. It’s rough and raw and almost visceral – you can practically feel the artist’s hand at work, smearing and daubing with the brush. See how the paint is thin in places, allowing the canvas to show through, and thick in others, creating a sense of depth and movement. I like the drip marks, like tears. For me, it’s the eyes that are really striking. They seem to peer out at you from the canvas, drawing you into the artist’s world. Holosiy tragically died very young, but you see a similarly expressionistic approach to paint in the work of later artists, like Cecily Brown. It’s a reminder that art is always in conversation, even across generations.