Illustration for the collection of short stories by Yevhen Gutsal "In the stork village" 1969

Curator: We’re looking at Hryhorii Havrylenko's illustration from 1969, specifically created for Yevhen Gutsal's short story collection, "In the Stork Village". It's an ink drawing, minimalist in its palette. Editor: My first thought is of textiles – almost like a woven landscape. All those precisely rendered lines… the varying density of the marks creating a visual texture that’s quite compelling. Curator: It is remarkable. Havrylenko was very active in illustrating Ukrainian literature. These drawings were reproduced in books circulating within Soviet Ukraine – offering a kind of subtle visual resistance. It's a representation of rural life and perhaps a way to connect to a disappearing past, certainly something the Soviet regime wasn't keen on promoting. Editor: And the labour involved! The crosshatching, the painstaking detail... it speaks volumes about the value placed on craft, on handmade aesthetics at a time when industrialisation was radically transforming the landscape – literally and figuratively. Are these linear patterns visual codes, you think? Is it some attempt to formalize, codify what's known of the village? Curator: I think there's an attempt to give solidity to the village, especially as it existed in memory, the image made stable in a period of intense change, when tradition was being sidelined. Havrylenko's illustrations played a part in maintaining cultural memory – offering readers access to stories and images which diverged from official Soviet narratives. The heavy lines are really noticeable. Editor: Indeed. And note the use of inexpensive ink on what was likely ordinary paper; the material reality is essential. This was art for the people, art made from everyday materials accessible to many, a potent and democratic gesture, if quietly so. Curator: A means to resist, one drawing at a time. Editor: Exactly, embedding counter-narratives in the mundane stuff of everyday life. Fascinating how an image's impact hinges on recognizing the significance of both its message and means of distribution.