A Girl and a boat 1962

Hryhorii Havrylenko's 'A Girl and a Boat’ is made from lines and tone, hatching and stark shapes in ink on paper. I can see the artist's hand here, the repeated marks, as he sat and built up the image. I can imagine the artist making this work, maybe sitting somewhere looking out to sea, and sketching quickly with a pen. It makes me think about the physicality of art-making— the scratching of the pen on paper, the pressure needed to make a dark mark versus a light one. Look at the girl's hair, the way the artist has drawn the hair in thick lines next to thin sketchy lines. The way the marks vary gives the drawing a sense of movement. The artist may have been exploring ways to use the medium of ink to create different textures and effects. Artists are always in conversation with each other. In his own way, Havrylenko is drawing on the techniques of those who came before him, responding to artistic problems in his own time and place. Ultimately, painting and drawing like this embodies uncertainty, allowing multiple readings and meanings.