Illustrations for Mikhail Stelmakh's book "In the Hedgehog's Windmill" 1956

This illustration, by Hryhorii Havrylenko, probably made with ink, really gets at something about the process of drawing, where a few lines can suggest a whole world. Look at the way he captures light and shadow with just a few strokes. It's like he’s thinking out loud with his pen. There’s this beautiful balance between what’s there and what’s suggested, leaving so much room for our imaginations to fill in the gaps. The texture of the paper almost becomes part of the drawing itself. The man in the chair looks to be holding his head in his hands, maybe thinking of all the things we think about in our lives. I am reminded of Philip Guston, who made a lot of drawings later in life that are similarly stripped down and honest. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfection, but about the messy, beautiful process of trying to make sense of the world.