Untitled 

Curator: Let's discuss this unnamed acrylic painting by Hannibal Alkhas. Initially, I see a rather disquieting assemblage, with these almost ethereal figures hovering over a somber cityscape. Editor: It certainly is an intense visual statement. My eyes are immediately drawn to the chromatic contrast—the almost jarring opposition between the ochre robes of the figures and the predominantly fiery tones of the buildings below. What effect do you think this achieves structurally? Curator: I think the effect is of visual imbalance—the composition, a divided field, the cool celestial bodies struggle against the fiery world. Note how the repeated faces force you to see each variation of expression, drawing focus toward those eyes, toward their apparent concerns, even though their specific affectations are unreadable to us. Editor: That repetition does bring a certain rhythm to the upper section, but it feels somewhat fractured. Could this be an intentional disruption of perspective, maybe reflecting the socio-political uncertainties that characterized his career? The faceless crowd looking on seems quite critical to me. Curator: Well, you can read it in terms of sociopolitical uncertainty, and his identity as an Iranian-Assyrian artist perhaps shaped the piece; I focus on its internal coherence. Consider the almost crude application of the acrylic, the visible brushstrokes that build the layers. To me, that texture creates a sense of immediacy and raw emotion. The portrait is less a likeness and more an impression, a feeling. Editor: Yes, Alkhas seems preoccupied less with faithful depiction than with emotional expression. But his perspective of Expressionism is really one of public introspection—in portraying internal states, Alkhas invariably reveals society’s fault lines through allegorical structures and portraits, don't you think? It would appear this form follows sociopolitical commentary—it would seem his cultural background serves to make an argument. Curator: Maybe you’re right. There's no doubt this painting pulls you in to engage its unsettling dualities and unresolved visual tension; its narrative invites you to become the bearer of its title. Editor: It leaves one contemplating what unseen event triggered the subjects’ melancholic upward glance while contrasting against an urban tableau soaked in almost purgatorial red.