Untitled 1997

Editor: Here we have an Untitled piece from 1997 by Manoucher Yektai, seemingly rendered with thick strokes of oil paint. It's quite a tactile piece, almost sculpted onto the canvas. There’s a figure, perhaps a nude, amidst a domestic setting, but the abstraction obscures clear details. It's an intense flurry of textures. What do you make of this work? Curator: Well, for me, it's a whisper of a memory fighting its way through layers of paint, time, and emotion. Yektai’s use of matter-painting lends a physical presence, a real weight, to the fleeting nature of the subject. Look how the light catches those peaks and valleys! There's something deeply human in that struggle, don’t you think? Is she comfortable, or is there a sense of melancholy weighing her down? Editor: I see what you mean about the memory aspect – it’s like the painting is built up from fragments. But I also sense a certain tension between the abstract strokes and the very traditional theme of a nude. Curator: Absolutely! He's not just painting a nude, he’s dismantling and rebuilding our idea of one. Consider the context - the late 90s. Artists were challenging conventions, pushing boundaries. Yektai, with his background and modern art leanings, takes this classical subject and injects it with raw emotion and almost violent physicality. Do you feel that the palette conveys this intensity, too? Editor: Yes, now that you point it out. The color choices do seem unconventional, less about realism and more about mood. All those whites and blues... a bit somber, maybe? Curator: Somber, perhaps… but I’d also suggest introspective. He’s inviting us to look beyond the surface, to grapple with the ambiguity. The nude is not merely an object, but a subject of deep and turbulent emotion, perhaps in defiance of cultural constraints. And the woman's direct gaze back out toward us feels like she’s in on the dismantling of it all too. Editor: That makes me reconsider my initial impression. The roughness is not a flaw, but an essential part of the emotional landscape of the painting. It feels more honest and self-aware now. Thanks for that, I can see it clearly now. Curator: That is what paintings are all about – a journey together!