Untitled 1987

Curator: Manoucher Yektai's 'Untitled' from 1987, it’s quite an experience to stand before this particular oil on canvas creation. Editor: It hits you, doesn't it? That impasto, that's pure physicality! It feels less like looking at a painting and more like encountering a field of intensely colorful matter, you know? Curator: Yes, absolutely. The way Yektai has built up these luscious mounds of paint…it’s a riot, an invitation to just plunge your hands right in. The textures just bring it alive! You know he’s using what they call “matter painting,” a technique that's almost sculptural. Editor: I can totally see the appeal. Matter painting pulls the work right out of the flat, idealized realm of the canvas. Suddenly you’re confronted with the reality of oil paint as a substance, as a product. I find myself thinking about the process – all that mixing, applying, and the labor involved. What was he thinking? Curator: I imagine Yektai working in bursts, a frenzy of capturing the essence of… well, life! The raw, messy beauty of it all. And notice the light, how it catches on those peaks and valleys of color, almost sparkling? Editor: True, but even the color is working as a material. The thick pinks and reds aren’t trying to "represent" a subject. I see them acting as these viscous layers, referencing the artifice that all painting is. Like layers of frosting. Curator: Ha! That's great because it does give it that sense of… celebration. But also, look closely. The layering isn't arbitrary. There's a conversation happening between the blues and oranges, that dance that echoes back and forth. To me it speaks to finding harmony in chaos. Editor: Okay, I'm tracking. Harmony isn’t exactly what sprang to my mind first, but I appreciate you steering me that way! It does bring up the constant negotiations we have with…consumption, right? Yektai builds and builds, almost to excess – does this point to cultural materialism too? Curator: Exactly, it teeters on excess and still stays delightful, wouldn't you say? It really captures how so many things are done. A lot, and somehow always just enough to do the job! Editor: I came in prepared to critique this piece based on my knowledge, but it has led to so many insights about this artwork. Curator: Wonderful, just how an encounter with a piece of art should feel!