Beatrice 1990

Oleg Holosiy made this oil on canvas painting, Beatrice, and what strikes me is the ethereal quality. Holosiy has created a space of shifting images and floating figures, built with layers of thin paint and soft colours. I imagine Holosiy, brush in hand, working intuitively across the canvas. He applies the paint in such a way that the figures emerge slowly, like ghosts in the machine. See how the figures in each of the four panels seem to be in a state of becoming. The delicate touch in the rendering of the figures shows the artist's deep sensitivity to the human form. Holosiy's handling of paint evokes the sensation of fleeting moments, suggesting the transient nature of life. Ultimately, painting is an invitation to imagine new ways of seeing.