Illustration for Mikhail Stelmakh's book 'In the Hedgehog's Windmill' 1956

Curator: Welcome. We're looking at an ink drawing by Hryhorii Havrylenko, dating from 1956. It’s an illustration for Mikhail Stelmakh's book, "In the Hedgehog's Windmill". Editor: It has a fairytale feeling. Nostalgic and pastoral, but also something melancholic about it. Is that little girl lost? Curator: The scene is a Ukrainian village. We can see the child standing at a crossroads between two very large trees and a group on a cart is faintly visible on the horizon. A figure rests on a fence. Editor: You can really see the hand of the artist at work here. It is literally illustration—done to illustrate the story, a book for young people. The materiality is interesting, though, the paper looks very low grade, aged, perhaps dictated by the limited resources of the time? Curator: Exactly. The process of creating illustrations for children's books often involved collaboration with publishing houses and limitations in printing technology. The quality of the paper stock and ink reflect those economic and industrial realities. The simple act of the girl holding a basket connects to themes of food and sustenance during a period where collective farming was dominant. Editor: How are these power structures manifesting themselves on the community at the time, in its visual vocabulary? Curator: I find that by looking at these visual details in a landscape setting, it allows one to assess historical power dynamics in the countryside as well as the ways these details permeated both political policy and popular cultural consciousness in this time period. The choice of landscape also offers ways to consider human connection to ecology and agrarian culture. The little girl also becomes part of a lineage. The landscape offers an opening to view the role of women within its boundaries, both imagined and real. Editor: And the simplicity of ink drawing as a medium… it seems well suited to capture the straightforward reality. No fancy painting techniques. Just line, form and stark reality. Curator: An interesting thought. We often view these choices as limiting; However, I think ink allows an unfiltered quality that focuses on precision and observation—reflecting themes found within Stelmakh’s stories themselves! Editor: That's a strong point. The visual vocabulary creates an impression which reflects its context and, at the same time, is beautiful as is. Curator: It gives a lens through which to see art production during that time. Editor: Exactly, this dialogue enriches how we appreciate it on its own merit.