Female Image 1965

Editor: So, here we have Hryhorii Havrylenko’s "Female Image," an oil painting from 1965. It’s quite a simple composition, really. Something about the way she's looking off to the side, though, feels a bit melancholy. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Melancholy is a beautiful way to describe it. To me, she embodies a quiet strength. There's a certain stoicism in her gaze, isn’t there? It makes me think of the resilience of women in the face of the everyday hardships they've so often faced in recent history and prehistory too. Notice how the planes of her face are simplified, almost sculpted. The colours are muted, like aged photographs… almost like looking into the past. Do you get that feeling too? Editor: I do. It feels very… grounded, maybe? Not flashy or attention-grabbing. So, is this "grounded" simplicity the core feature here? Curator: It’s a deliberate choice, I think. Especially considering it was painted in the sixties – a time of so much social and artistic upheaval. Perhaps Havrylenko sought refuge in a more timeless aesthetic? Or, maybe, he was simply painting the world as he experienced it, quietly and authentically, ignoring the clamour of fleeting trends. Look at her grey shirt against the almost industrial light-blue background. Does that resonate for you? Editor: Definitely industrial... cold war maybe, with its utilitarian drabness. What do you make of her direct gaze juxtaposed against the drab palette? Curator: Right! Well, it feels to me that her gaze invites you, the viewer, into that very private space. Despite the austerity, there’s an intimacy there. Editor: So it is austerity, but a determined, resilient austerity, not defeat? I hadn't thought of it that way. Curator: Precisely. It's like she’s saying, "This is me. This is my reality." A simple portrait, yes, but profoundly honest. It's always those that capture something special, I think.