At Sergei's 1991

Oleg Holosiy made "At Sergei's" at some point in his short life. He died way too young. Looking at this painting, I see dark, heavy shapes. It’s like Holosiy was wrestling with something. The paint looks scrubbed and layered, as if he kept changing his mind, building up the surface with doubt and second guesses. There’s a real tension here. I wonder what Sergei's place was like? I imagine the artist in a small apartment, maybe a bit rundown, with music playing and the smell of oil paint mixing with something cooking on the stove. This painting reminds me of other artists who weren't afraid to lay it all bare, like Chaim Soutine, for instance. Artists like Holosiy are part of a long conversation. They pick up where others leave off, adding their own voice, their own struggles, to the mix. And for us viewers, well, we get to listen in.