Abstract composition (Deposition from the cross) 1962

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this abstract ink drawing, with the title *Deposition from the Cross*, without a date. The stark contrast of black ink on white paper is so direct, so unmediated. Look at the hatching, almost frantic, building up a tonal range from light grey to deep shadow. You can sense the artist's hand, moving quickly, trying to capture something fleeting. The image references what's called a Deposition, the moment Christ is taken down from the cross, but it's abstracted, almost dissolved, into pure form. There’s something about the rawness of the line that makes the emotion feel really present, not theatrical. The composition feels both intentional and like it was found on the page, there’s a kind of tension between control and chance. The area to the top left is so heavily worked it almost seems to vibrate. I wonder what Havrylenko thought about Picasso. They both share that interest in pushing figuration to the edge of abstraction, finding new ways to represent the world.