Pardon 1988

Oleg Holosiy made this painting, Pardon, with oil on canvas. I can imagine Holosiy in his studio, wrestling with the paint, pushing and pulling it across the surface to conjure these figures from the ground. Look at the way the figures emerge from these muted browns, greys and reds. The paint is applied thinly, almost like a wash, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. A figure on the left, shrouded in mystery, holds a staff, while another, rendered in fiery red, stands poised on the right. I wonder if Holosiy was thinking about forgiveness and redemption when he made this. This painting reminds me of others who have explored the human condition through abstract figuration, like Francis Bacon or Leon Golub. Artists are always in conversation with one another, across time and space. "Pardon" feels like a raw and honest exploration of what it means to be human, with all its ambiguities and uncertainties.