Polonyna. From the 'Carpathian Cycle' 1958

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this drawing of Polonyna, part of the ‘Carpathian Cycle’, using pen and ink. It's all about the scratchy, energetic marks, like he’s trying to capture the wildness of the landscape with every stroke. You know, artmaking isn't just about depicting something, it's about a process of discovery, a way of thinking through lines and forms. Look at how he uses hatching to build up the textures of the trees and the mountains. The ink is dense in some areas, almost black, and then light and airy in others, giving the drawing a real sense of depth and atmosphere. And those quick, scribbled lines in the foreground? They create this feeling of movement, like the wind is blowing through the tall grass. There's something almost Fauvist about the energy of the mark making here. It reminds me a bit of Matisse, in the way he could capture so much with just a few simple lines. Ultimately, art is about this ongoing conversation, isn’t it? We keep riffing on each other, finding new ways to see the world and ourselves.