These Boys 2022

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to “These Boys,” a watercolor painted in 2022 by Kateryna Lysovenko. Editor: The first impression is almost unsettling. The fluidity of the medium creates an atmosphere of impermanence, while the somewhat raw, gestural style hints at hidden emotions. What strikes me most is how these figures blend into their surroundings. Curator: The setting indeed speaks to an immersion in nature, evoking ancient themes of youth and innocence within an Arcadian landscape. The vulnerability conveyed by their nudity echoes classical ideas of honesty and unadorned truth. Yet, there’s also an echo of unease, almost like a modern take on a biblical scene. Editor: Precisely. The red details disrupt this seemingly idyllic setting. Their placement demands attention, adding a visceral dimension. It also alters the symmetry and balance we typically expect in such pastoral depictions. There is a distinct sense of displacement here. Curator: I would venture that Lysovenko is interested in a dialogue between the natural and the cultivated, the raw and the refined. Consider the symbol of youth, almost as if taken from the collective unconscious. These figures inhabit a realm where vulnerability confronts the potential for transgression. They present an unsettling duality: beautiful, yes, but tinged with something darker. Editor: Perhaps this tension is intensified by the work’s ambiguous scale, too. The broad washes of color suggest a wide vista. However, the intimacy of the figures' poses draws you in, creating a push-pull effect, formalizing the disquiet at the heart of it all. Curator: It's an evocative blend of timeless mythologies and very contemporary feelings about exposure, vulnerability, and perhaps even threatened innocence. This interplay invites reflection upon not just these boys but on the symbolism that resonates through time. Editor: A provocative use of form to enhance thematic concerns, undoubtedly. Curator: Precisely! A perfect instance where the symbolism enhances one's experience with artistic form and expression.