St. Benedykt 1981

Oleksandr Aksinin made this St Benedykt sometime before his death in 1985, using ink and possibly some collage elements. I can imagine Aksinin hunched over this piece, meticulously building up the ground with tiny, repetitive marks. There’s a real sense of devotion, like he’s creating his own kind of illuminated manuscript. The dark shape in the center feels like a void, but also a space of contemplation, and the little cross above, like a signpost. The overall texture is so rich, almost woven, but then those drips disrupt the order, introducing an element of chance and imperfection. They remind me that the image is made by a human, not a machine. It’s like he’s saying something about faith and doubt, order and chaos, all at once. You see that same energy in the work of other artists like Paul Klee, who mixed a childlike spirit with deep philosophical inquiry. It’s like they are all in conversation, sharing ideas across time and space.