Female Image (Beatrice). The reverse side of the sheet 1965

This drawing, Female Image (Beatrice), by Hryhorii Havrylenko, shows us the slow, deliberate process of mark-making. It's all about the lines, isn't it? Look at the way Havrylenko uses hatching to create shadows, like the subtle shading along the nose, it almost feels like a topographical map. The texture is created with a simple pen, but the density of the lines gives depth. It's really graphic and bold. What does this clarity tell us? I wonder how quickly he decided on this method, or whether it took a while? The simplicity reminds me of Agnes Martin's drawings, but with a human touch. The gaze of this Beatrice, it draws you in. Art’s funny like that, always whispering to each other across time, isn't it?