The Dead-End. 1981

Morteza Katouzian made this painting called ‘The Dead-End’ with oil paint on canvas. It's all about process, you know? The way Katouzian layers the paint to create this dreamy, almost surreal scene. The texture and the physicality are key here, right? The contrast between the smooth surface of the book and the rough, almost chaotic, brushstrokes in the sky. It’s like the artist is wrestling with something. And look at that lock on the book, so precisely painted, it grounds the piece in reality, while the rest of it floats in a world of metaphor. This piece reminds me of Magritte, that kind of surreal juxtaposition of objects, but with a deeper emotional resonance. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about answers. It’s about the questions we ask and the spaces we create in between.