Mermaid 1989

Oleg Holosiy made this painting of a mermaid, and looking at it, I can almost feel him standing at the easel, brush in hand, the smell of oil paint in the air. There's this immediate, raw quality to the work, the way the mermaid figure emerges from the shadowy depths of the water with these shimmering golds and ochres. I'm thinking about his process. Did he begin with charcoal, mapping out the composition? Or did he dive right in with paint, letting the image emerge intuitively? The cool blues of the water, the way they contrast with the mermaid's form – it feels like he's capturing a fleeting moment, something just on the edge of perception. It reminds me of other artists who capture mythological characters like Paula Rego, or even earlier with the pre-Raphaelites. Each is trying to get to the bottom of human nature, and how that’s reflected in myth. Holosiy’s handling of paint is like a conversation, a back-and-forth between intention and accident. And that’s what makes it so alive, so full of possibility.