Mascaron 1990

Oleg Holosiy made this painting, Mascaron, with oil on canvas sometime before 1993. I love how the simple lines create a face that feels both ancient and immediate. The texture here is so interesting; it's almost like looking through a screen. That orange outline isn't just sitting on the surface. It feels like it's glowing, or maybe like a memory trying to surface. The way the colors bleed and blend suggests a process of layering and excavation. It reminds me that making art is a conversation – the colours talk to each other, and the artist listens, guiding the conversation, but never fully controlling it. There's something about the rawness of Holosiy’s approach that reminds me of Jean-Michel Basquiat, in the sense of embracing an expressive freedom that comes from a place deep inside. It's a dance between intention and accident, and the result is something that feels deeply human.