Untitled 

Editor: This is an untitled watercolor landscape by Bahman Mohasses, painted in 1993. It strikes me as incredibly simple, almost childlike. There's just a tree, a hill, and some sky, but it feels surprisingly profound. What do you see in this piece that maybe I’m missing? Curator: It is a gem, isn't it? Sometimes the greatest depth hides in the simplest forms. I find this landscape less about accurate representation and more about the emotional essence of a place. Consider the washes of color, the blurring of lines... it almost feels like a memory, fleeting and fragile. Notice the dark tones at the tree's base - do those grounding colors suggest anything about the passage of time? Editor: I see what you mean about memory. The soft edges and the way the colors blend into each other definitely give it a dreamy quality. The darker tones kind of anchor the dream to reality. It stops it floating away completely. Curator: Exactly! It is not trying to show us everything but instead focusing on just that very grounded sensation that roots the landscape. The choice of watercolor helps accentuate that quality too: it gives a sense of delicacy but also one of translucence, don’t you think? As though one can see both the surface of the paint and beneath, into another realm... Perhaps this painting suggests how art does not only show a memory, but also constructs a feeling in the here-and-now. Editor: I think so. The translucence adds to the whole dreamy feeling. And the idea of it creating a feeling rather than just showing a memory…that’s a great way to look at it. It's been cool chatting about how there's more to the watercolor than I initially saw! Curator: That's the magic of art, isn't it? It keeps whispering secrets, waiting for us to listen. Now if you don't mind I'll have to go sit under that tree, at least in my mind...