Two Abstract Compositions 1970

Hryhorii Havrylenko made these two abstract compositions with pen on paper, and it’s the kind of work that makes you think about the basics of artmaking. The marks are so clear, so straightforward. The hatching and cross-hatching creates these different tones and textures. You can really see the process, the hand moving back and forth, building up these dense areas of black ink. It's almost like a meditation on mark-making itself. Look at the way the lines in the middle sections are all going in a similar direction, while in the squares above and below he's layered them to create a much darker, more textured effect. The simplicity of the monochrome palette and the geometric forms reminds me a little of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, or maybe Agnes Martin's grids, but with a looser, more handmade feel. It shows how much can be achieved with a simple set of rules. Art is an ongoing conversation, always echoing and riffing on what came before.