Sketch of the Mosaic Panel 'Scheme of World Structure' for the Exterior Design of the Ternopil Cotton Mill 1974

Valerii Lamakh created this sketch for a mosaic panel, likely using gouache or tempera, which gives it that lovely matte finish. I like how he’s not trying to hide the process. You can see the build up of layers, the underpainting peeking through, which, for me, makes it feel really alive. Look at the way the vertical stripes on the skirt interact with the orange underneath. It’s almost like he’s drawing with paint, letting the colors vibrate against each other. The paint application here isn't about blending; it’s about building up a surface through simple strokes, a kind of layering that feels both deliberate and spontaneous. Lamakh reminds me a bit of Fernand Léger, especially in his focus on everyday subjects and simplified forms. This piece feels like part of an ongoing dialogue about how we represent the world around us, acknowledging that there’s always more than one way to see things.