Gospel 1984

Oleksandr Aksinin made this what looks like a watercolor, called "Gospel" and I am immediately drawn to the contrast of the sharp geometric forms with the dreamlike surreal imagery. The colors are really saturated, like old school animation cells, and I love how the red creates this vibrating background for the green architecture. The wings and the little figures remind me of something between a religious icon and a science fiction comic. I can see the artist carefully layering the paint to create these flat areas of color, but then letting the texture of the paper come through to give it a handmade feel. There’s something about the way he combines these different elements that feels so personal, like he’s inventing his own language. It puts me in mind of Paul Klee or maybe even Hilma af Klint who were similarly using abstraction to explore spiritual ideas.