Sound of Retreating Steps (Sergey) 1991

Curator: Oleg Holosiy created this rather intense image, "Sound of Retreating Steps (Sergey)" in 1991 using oil paint. Editor: Whoa, talk about raw emotion! My gut reaction? Claustrophobia and impending doom. That bold red floor contrasting with the blue-tinged white wall, it feels like a stage for some unspoken tragedy. Curator: Indeed. Holosiy was a key figure in Ukrainian Neo-Expressionism. This piece can be interpreted through the lens of post-Soviet anxiety and the collapse of utopian ideals. Notice how the figure in the suit dominates the fallen one. Editor: He's looming, isn't he? And his face... partly obscured by shadow, but there’s definitely an ambivalence there. Like he's regretting *something.* Or is it triumph? It’s almost performative. I can’t decide if he's the oppressor or just another victim in a messed-up play. Curator: That ambiguity is key. The stark contrasts of color and the simplified forms characteristic of Neo-Expressionism reflect a breakdown of established structures. The figure in power is not glorified but presented as another cog in a decaying system. Consider too that 'Sergey' in the title alludes to a specific individual, possibly someone known to Holosiy, or a more universal figure representative of the establishment. Editor: Hmm, 'decaying system'... so less 'personal vendetta' and more 'societal commentary'? I like that. The colours are so deliberate, aren’t they? The cold, impersonal blue and white contrasting sharply with the suffocating red. It’s like he’s saying: indifference enabled this violence. And I just noticed, the hands – the almost exaggerated gloves make it so chilling, they could symbolise something else? Like power maybe? Curator: Yes, and those large, stark gloves suggest detachment. A clean hands policy... It certainly amplifies that feeling of complicity rather than direct engagement. The receding shadow could suggest not only is there physical retreating from what has occurred, but perhaps it’s metaphorical retreating into a personal darkness after a specific action, the burden of an action one could only take so far away from themselves? Editor: Ugh, that’s a bleak thought. It does make me wonder about those "retreating steps." Is it the oppressor, or the ghost of what he’s done? Haunting... I suppose what truly sticks with me is how such stark simplicity can communicate something so complex and unsettling. Curator: Precisely. Holosiy harnesses the immediacy of expressionism to delve into layered sociopolitical issues of a formative time in Ukrainian history. And the painting is effective in getting that idea across to audiences. Editor: Definitely lingers. This piece has certainly changed my thinking. So good to have had this perspective shift and see something new!