Sunset 1992

Oleg Holosiy made this painting, "Sunset," with oil on canvas. Imagine the process. I'm thinking Holosiy laid down this deep, moody black, and then slashed at it with these reds, oranges, and yellows to create the effect of a setting sun over the horizon. I sympathize with him as a fellow painter! Maybe he was grappling with something intense, trying to capture a fleeting moment of beauty amidst the darkness, you know? There's something so raw about how he handled the paint. Not too thick, not too thin. And that sun, that half circle of bright yellow, it's like a beacon of hope. Holosiy reminds me of other painters who aren't afraid to get messy, like maybe Francis Bacon or someone like that. In that the paint is a way to express something in the gut. It’s all part of the ongoing conversation that artists have across time, inspiring each other to see the world in new and unexpected ways.