Mykhailivske. Diptych 1982

This diptych, Mykhailivske, by Hryhorii Havrylenko uses a limited palette to describe the landscape. The process seems simple, but looking closer reveals a complexity of layering and juxtaposition. The areas of green seem to establish a ground, but these are interrupted by patches of yellow and pale blue, which could be fields, water or sky, or something in between. It's like a game of visual hide-and-seek, with colors and shapes taking on multiple roles. I see a horizon line, with green fields cut across by bands of light blue and grey, but the sky is rendered in pale yellow spots. The colors are flat and matte, without shading or blending, which gives the piece a graphic quality. I love the ambiguity of this piece. It reminds me of the work of Milton Avery, who also used simple shapes and colors to create landscapes that are both familiar and strange. It’s this openness to interpretation that makes art so endlessly fascinating.