A Girl and a boat 1962

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this drawing, A Girl and a Boat, with ink on paper. The whole thing is rendered in a series of very fine lines, except for some areas that are just solid black, like graphic shapes. I love the way the hatching follows the forms of the body. Look closely at the way he has rendered the torso, and how this contrasts with the blank stare of the figure. Those eyes, made only of negative space, give the work such an eerie, haunting quality. It reminds me a little of Alex Katz, actually. Then there are the long, straight lines, like the one marking the girl's hair, or those defining her legs. The strange way the body is finished with these, rather than fading away, is so interesting. It’s as if the artist is thinking through line itself, trying to find a way to see the figure with marks alone. It all hangs together, just like that. It’s a quiet triumph.