Linum. Study 1975

Tetyana Yablonska made this painting, Linum. Study, on canvas with oils, and what strikes me first is how the marks feel both considered, and spontaneous, almost like a sketch. Up close, the texture of the paint feels so alive, the brushstrokes loaded with pigment. There is a rich impasto that catches the light and creates a sense of depth. It feels like the artist is sculpting the surface, building up the image with layers of colour. Look at the little patch of wild flowers in the foreground and how the green and white are dabbed on, somehow feeling both true to life, and incredibly expressive. That area alone is a masterclass in how to create form with paint. Yablonska reminds me of Fairfield Porter actually, who, similarly, painted in an impressionistic style, but with a focus on the everyday. Both artists remind us that painting is an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and feeling the world.