Sitting on the Mountain Watching Dogs Fighting 2011

Vasan Sitthiket made this painting titled 'Sitting on the Mountain Watching Dogs Fighting' with what looks like expressive brushstrokes and a bold, somewhat clashing color palette. It feels like he's inviting us to see the world not as it is, but as a raw, unfiltered experience. There's something immediate about the materiality of the work; you can almost feel the thickness of the paint, the way Sitthiket loaded his brush and attacked the canvas. Take a look at the sky, with these concentric circles of blazing blue, each ripple a physical record of the act of painting. The surface is alive, like a conversation between the artist and the materials. This feels reminiscent of some of Ensor’s darker, more sardonic works, only through the looking glass. Sitthiket seems to be saying something about power, conflict, and the artist's role as a detached observer, all while reminding us that art is a process, not a product.