Untitled 1964

This small, untitled drawing was made with ink on paper by Hryhorii Havrylenko. Look at the obsessive mark-making, all those straight lines, and you get a sense of an artist deeply engaged in the process. The whole image is built up from these hatched marks, creating areas of tone and texture. The ink sits on the surface, creating a slightly raised feel. Check out the lower left: there's a small rectangular form which has a totally different feel to the rest of the image. It’s like a little window into another world. The repetition and simplicity reminds me of Agnes Martin, though Havrylenko's work has a more raw, immediate feel. It’s a drawing that invites you to slow down and appreciate the beauty of simple marks, and the power of art to create new ways of seeing.