Act (Tension)

Brief description

The drawing belongs to A. Arkhipenko's Berlin works, in which the thin linear contour of the form is combined with wide feathers of graphite and pastel. The artist also introduces a bright yellow color in this work. In the museum documentation this "Act" has a second name - "Tension" - although it is known that the artist did not like to give his works characteristic names, believing that it limits the freedom of the viewer to interpret and read the work. Despite the conditional generalized character of this act, the figure of the woman is compositionally and truly creates a sense of tension that runs diagonally from the bowed face of the woman to the tips of her toes and fingers.

Maria Cymbalista 
Head of Prints and Drawings department
From the collection of Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv.