Gull 1975

Here is Hryhorii Havrylenko's painting of a gull, made with oil on canvas. At first glance, the surface texture of the sea dominates our perception, created with visible brushstrokes. The horizontal lines suggest a calm, almost meditative state, disrupted only by the stark white form of the gull cutting through the muted tones. This juxtaposition invites a deeper reading. The bird, a signifier of freedom, contrasts sharply with the subdued, almost oppressive palette of the sea. Semiotically, the sea can represent the subconscious, the vast unknown, while the gull is the conscious self, momentarily breaking free. The very composition, with the gull positioned asymmetrically, destabilizes a sense of balance. Havrylenko challenges our expectations, reminding us that perception is never neutral. The roughness of the brushstrokes, the deliberate lack of detail, all point to a philosophical stance. It's a visual statement that meaning isn't fixed, but rather, emerges from the interplay between elements.