Canonical Image 1979

This watercolor painting was made by Oleksandr Aksinin, an artist who lived from 1949 to 1985. Can you imagine Aksinin, bending over the paper, carefully brushing layer upon layer of blue, purple, and red? I think of Agnes Martin and her stripes when I see this painting. But then I see that bright red form hovering at the center of the composition and I think this could be an alternative take on surrealism. It feels kind of dreamlike. The form almost looks like an upside-down figure trapped between horizontal layers, like a figure suspended in time. The surface seems thin and translucent, but the color is so saturated. I can almost feel the grain of the paper underneath. It must have been such a pleasure to make each and every little stripe with the watery pigment. And, it inspires me to think about how an image emerges from the interplay of color and form, revealing different ways of seeing and experiencing the world.