Duet 2018

Soltan Soltanlı made this vibrant painting, Duet, with what looks like acrylic on canvas, and it's just bursting with color and life! I love how the paint is applied so thickly, almost like frosting on a cake. The textures feel alive, especially in that field of flowers, where each little dab of paint becomes a tiny blossom. The way he captures light is interesting – see how the blue sky is built from layers of different hues, making it feel like the air itself is shimmering? The relationship between the figure playing the clarinet and the donkey is intriguing. The donkey's expression makes you wonder if it appreciates the music, or whether its 'hee-haw' is its own song! There’s something kind of Matisse-like in the simplicity of the forms and the boldness of the colors, that playful use of flat planes and vibrant hues is all about feeling, and less about representation. Soltanlı gives us a world seen through the eyes of joy and imagination. It reminds me of the simple pleasures of making art.