Young woman 1968

This portrait of a young woman by Hryhorii Havrylenko is made with colored pencil, and the cross-hatched marks create a sense of depth and texture. It’s a field of soft color, mostly muted blues, greens, and reds, that combine to create an intimate portrayal. I can imagine the artist carefully layering each stroke, building up the form of the woman’s face and body. What was he thinking as he rendered her likeness? Did he know her? The way the red lines of her dress contrast with the pale skin creates an almost vibrating energy. Then there’s the background, a dense web of marks that push the figure forward. The simplicity reminds me of folk art, yet there’s a sophistication in the color choices that suggests something more. All mark-making is a conversation with the history of mark-making. Hryhorii Havrylenko’s portrait participates in that ongoing exchange, reminding us that art is not made in a vacuum, but in a world of shared looking and seeing.