Untitled 1987

This untitled painting was made by Manoucher Yektai, but the date remains unknown. The surface of this painting seems to almost be built from impasto; the creamy paint is applied so thickly it feels like sculpture. Just look at the columns at the top! They are almost hewn from the paint itself. The color palette is simple; soft whites and blues punctuated by dark greens and purples. You can feel the weight of each loaded brushstroke. See how the texture creates shadows and highlights, adding another dimension to the work? It reminds me a little of Guston, but Yektai is doing his own thing. The ambiguity is what makes it so compelling. Are those ruins? Or just a pile of stuff in the studio? Art's always an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time, open to multiple interpretations.