Sketch of the Mosaic Panel 'Friendship' for the Exterior Decoration of the Administrative Building of the Ternopil Cotton Mill 1974

Valerii Lamakh made this sketch for a mosaic panel, probably on paper, with gouache. It’s an unusual painting because it’s not really a painting; it’s a sketch of a public artwork. The grey background makes the colours pop, kind of floating them forward. The pinks, reds, and yellows are so alive! It's like Lamakh laid down the grounds for a garden, plotting where to place the key forms. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, tweaking, all in the service of this vision of ‘Friendship.’ I am thinking about the original mosaic that would be realized based on this sketch; that’s such a different beast, right? One is intimate, and the other is meant for the public! And even though the edges of this work seem raw and unfinished, there is something very assured about Lamakh’s graphic approach and handling of colour. It reminds me a little bit of Fernand Léger, the way it seems to flatten out volume. I feel the legacy of modernism here, filtered through a very personal lens.