Troika 1992

Oleg Holosiy’s ‘Troika’ is a painting made with bold strokes, mostly blues, whites, and browns. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving quickly, trying to capture a fleeting moment. I imagine Holosiy standing before the canvas, brush loaded, thinking about speed, the blur of motion, maybe even a bit about Russian folklore. There’s something raw and urgent about the way the paint is applied, not too thick, but definitely present. See how those strokes of white and blue create a sense of a winter sky? The dark, almost silhouetted figures of the horses and riders give the painting a dramatic feel. It reminds me a bit of early Kandinsky, but with a rawer edge. It’s like Holosiy is in a conversation with art history, but speaking in his own distinct voice. Painting, after all, is one big, ongoing conversation. We all riff off each other, trying to say something new with the same old materials.