Abstract composition (Sketch for "Nika") 1963

This sketch, made by Hryhorii Havrylenko, is all about energy. I can imagine the artist, pen in hand, the nib scratching across the page with rapid, diagonal lines. There’s a real sense of the hand here, how it moved, and how the artist committed to each mark. Look at how the cluster of dark lines in the middle almost forms a figure, but not quite. It's as though Havrylenko is searching for something, letting the pen lead him, feeling his way through the composition. What was he thinking? Was he trying to capture a fleeting glimpse of something, a memory, or an emotion? There are marks everywhere, each with its own character, some are bold and assertive, others are tentative and light. For me, the sketch is about potential and possibility, a reminder that art is often about the journey, not just the destination. We're all sketching, in a way, trying to find our own form.