After Party 2018

Salman Toor made this painting, After Party, with thin washes of oil paint, and it feels like the making is all about catching a fleeting moment. The colour palette is warm and intimate with a touch of melancholy, like a hazy memory. Look at how the figures are built up with layers of translucent paint; see the way the light filters through those washes, creating depth and atmosphere, especially the brown strokes that define the floor. The gestures are loose, almost cartoonish, but there's a tenderness in the way Toor captures the vulnerability of these figures. The way the feet don’t quite touch the floor and seem to float on a plane. Toor reminds me of early Bonnard, that same mix of the everyday with a kind of dreamlike sensibility. It’s like he’s inviting us into his world, a world that’s both familiar and strange, where anything is possible. Art isn't about answers, it's about asking questions and embracing the unknown.