Native places 1957

Sattar Bahlulzade made this oil on canvas painting called “Native Places,” but the date is unknown. I love the hazy light that Bahlulzade conjures, almost like a memory, using soft brushstrokes and a muted palette. The blues and greens feel so tranquil. Looking closely, you can almost feel the texture of the canvas through the thin layers of paint, especially in the sky. Check out how he renders the flock of birds in the sky. It's almost gestural, like he’s inviting us to ponder the connection between the land and the sky. It reminds me of Constable’s cloud studies, but with this dreamy, almost ethereal quality. Bahlulzade seems interested in capturing a fleeting moment, a feeling. The way he layers the paint, letting the colors blend and bleed into one another, it's more about intuition and feeling than about precise representation. For me, that’s what makes it so special.