Summer 1967

Hryhorii Havrylenko's painting, "Summer," at the National Art Museum of Ukraine, feels like a memory captured with oil on canvas. I find myself drawn to how the horizontal marks build up the image, almost like layers of experience accumulating over time. The colors are muted, a gentle palette of greens, blues, and browns. It's not about loud statements but quiet observation. The texture is remarkable; you can almost feel the drag of the brush across the canvas, each stroke deliberate yet open to chance. Looking closely, there is a lighter patch of ochre in the lower register which sings against the muted blues and greens. That slight tonal difference is doing a lot of work in the image and creates a kind of tension. Havrylenko reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, in his commitment to simplicity and the power of subtle gestures. Art isn't always about answers; sometimes, it's about creating space for questions and embracing the beauty of not knowing.