In April. My Studio 1992

Curator: Tetyana Yablonska’s “In April. My Studio,” painted in 1992 using oil on canvas, strikes me with its dense layering and evocative springtime atmosphere. It's as if we’re peering through a veil of paint into the artist’s intimate space. What captures your attention most about this piece? Editor: I think the way Yablonska has handled the paint – all those visible brushstrokes – really draws me in. The colours blend in an almost abstract way, but you can still make out the landscape elements. I am intrigued how would you describe her application and use of colours? Curator: Indeed. The application is remarkably gestural, reminiscent of Impressionistic techniques. Note the lack of distinct lines, replaced by short, broken brushstrokes, or impasto. The colours, primarily muted greens, blues, and yellows, blend and merge, creating a shimmering effect that suggests the ephemerality of light and the budding of new life. The light itself becomes a palpable entity, almost material. Editor: So it is more about capturing the feeling rather than exact details of this actual scenery. Would that be an element of abstraction in the work, then? Curator: Precisely! While rooted in observable reality, it transcends mere representation. The structural elements—the rhythm of the brushstrokes, the juxtaposition of light and shadow—create a self-referentiality. This landscape is also a construction of paint, an assertion of the medium's own properties. Notice, too, how the composition draws the eye toward an ill-defined central area. Editor: So, instead of focusing on what the image represents, we're really invited to think about how it’s been made, all these aspects make it successful as a work of art. It gives a very specific mood, but invites openess. Curator: Exactly. And it is through the structural interplay of form, color, and texture that the painting achieves its affective power. That invites further appreciation, no? Editor: Definitely, I see the appeal for a formalist approach. I realize I usually look for familiar figures in an art work, while the emphasis on colours and the visible texture of the paint leads to different observations and appreciation. Thanks for the clarification.