"A" variant 2021

Curator: This drawing by Pavlo Makov, made in 2021 and entitled "\"A\" variant," immediately strikes me as both serene and slightly unsettling. What's your first take? Editor: Yes, that captures it. It's the composition, perhaps—the way the geometric forms are rendered with such stark lines and presented in this high contrast that generates this response. It’s unsettling how such basic shapes give such feelings. Curator: Well, given the date, it's almost impossible to separate the artwork from the social context of its creation, the early days of a war. Makov is a Ukrainian artist, so you've got to consider the impact of his experience and circumstances upon the materiality of this work. The restrictions and anxieties, for instance, regarding available supplies or studio access would have practical outcomes, directly affecting his materials and methods. Editor: I appreciate the nod to that background, but consider the aesthetic intent. The lines! The carefully balanced arrangement of cubes and box forms gives rise to an "A," not as language but as a spatial configuration. There's such visual precision at play, not in the expression of something "external," but about geometry itself, line, shape and the possibilities and purity they afford the work. Curator: Right, but how is that pursuit separate from, or unaffected by, the practical challenges in artistic production imposed during a time of war? Where do you source your paper, your inks? Can you heat your studio? These become inherent material conditions impacting the very forms you discuss, informing them through the practical circumstances of labor. It is not solely geometry: it is war as well. Editor: Possibly. But the limited palette also lends the piece an enduring, architectural quality. Its almost like a blueprint, or an unrealised building. How this single, near monochrome palette can create light and volume using only the placement and shape of line is very beautiful. I think the architectural rendering style creates a contemplative response from viewers too. Curator: Perhaps. But I am far more concerned by the impact war has on the value of artistic labor. Who sees this work? Under what conditions? Where does it travel, and what does that labor cost when bombs are falling? Ultimately, those are the key questions of value inherent in something like this. Editor: An important consideration indeed! Seeing the image dissected from multiple points offers some insights, and reveals even greater nuances. Thank you.