Landscape From the Cycle 'Suite, Inspired by Pushkin's Lyrics' 1968

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this hazy landscape as part of a series inspired by Pushkin’s poetry, though it’s hard to say exactly when. The way the paint’s been applied, it’s almost like a memory or a dream. Thin washes of color are built up, layer by layer, like veils, allowing the white of the paper to breathe through, giving the piece a sense of light and air. It's not about heavy impasto, or showing off virtuoso brushwork, but more about this quiet, meditative process. Look at how the horizon line isn’t a definite, hard edge, but rather a soft merging of the sea and sky. It makes you wonder about the nature of perception itself, how we often fill in the blanks, blurring the edges of things, as we try to make sense of the world. I’m reminded of Agnes Martin, and her delicate, pale grids and fields of color that seem to float on the surface of the canvas. Both artists embrace ambiguity and nuance, inviting us to slow down and contemplate the subtle shifts and rhythms of the natural world.