Man with Tote Bag and Laptop 2018

Salman Toor painted "Man with Tote Bag and Laptop" with what looks like thin washes of oil, allowing the ground to breathe through. It gives the painting this incredible luminosity. The color palette is muted, but those ochres and blues have a real punch. Look at how the brown of the vest picks up the same tone as the shoe, it's like the artist is creating a dialogue between the objects and the figure. This is a conversation I think Toor is having with artists like Balthus, whose paintings often feel staged in a similar way. But unlike Balthus, there is a real tenderness to Toor's work. It's evident in the delicate rendering of the face, the way the gaze is directed downwards, and the slouched posture. There's a real sense of introspection and intimacy. The bag and laptop suggest a narrative, but it's left open. Ultimately, this ambiguity is where the painting finds its strength.