Female Image. Sketch 1980

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this sketch of a face with what looks like delicate pencil lines. The way the lines are so sparse and sure, it's like he's mapping out a feeling more than a likeness. I imagine Havrylenko, pencil in hand, maybe in a small room, totally absorbed, trying to capture something fleeting. Look how the eyebrows are just these gentle arcs, and the nose is barely there, just a hint. And those eyes—they're so open and direct, like the artist is searching for a soul. It reminds me of other artists like, say, Agnes Martin, who also used simple lines to evoke complex emotions. There's an openness to this sketch, an invitation to fill in the blanks with our own stories and interpretations. It’s a reminder that art is a conversation, an exchange of ideas that keeps evolving.