Prodigal Son. Boschiana 1977

Editor: This is Oleksandr Aksinin's "Prodigal Son. Boschiana" from 1977, an engraving created with ink and other drawing media. The circular composition and intricate details give it a whimsical, almost dreamlike quality. What do you see in this piece, considered through a formalist lens? Curator: Initially, I'm struck by the composition's overall circularity. The artist uses this shape to create a self-contained world. Consider the tonal range – it's quite limited, creating a somewhat flattened picture plane. Do you observe how the details are distributed fairly evenly across the surface? Editor: Yes, there isn't a clear hierarchy in the visual elements. My eyes dart around trying to find a focal point. Curator: Precisely. Aksinin avoids traditional perspective, creating a dense and somewhat unsettling space. The textures, achieved through the engraving technique, are remarkably varied. Note the contrasting linear elements versus the more organic, flowing shapes. Does this contrast suggest any potential interpretations to you? Editor: Perhaps it suggests a tension between the natural and the man-made, or between order and chaos. The textures seem almost to compete for attention. Curator: An astute observation. Aksinin orchestrates these formal elements to create a visual tension that is, in many ways, the work's defining characteristic. There is also the relation of figure and ground here that defies traditional formal modeling. Editor: It is a powerful arrangement! The use of shape and composition results in this very captivating work, I’ll be looking more at detail relationships in artworks moving forward. Curator: Absolutely. I've observed a fresh relationship to space through the focus on texture, pattern and shape relationships.