Female image 1975

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this drawing, titled "Female image", using ink on paper. The approach is so delicate, so minimal, it's almost a whisper. There's something incredibly tender in the way he coaxes this face into existence with just a few lines. You can sense the artist's hand, the slight wobble in the line as it moves across the page, like a seismograph of his attention. Look closely at the eyes – they're not overly detailed, but there's a depth there, a kind of quiet knowing. It reminds me of the drawings of Agnes Martin, where the simplest of marks can hold so much emotion. It’s the kind of drawing you could spend hours with.