Granada, the Roofs 1978

Tahir Salahov created "Granada, the Roofs" with what looks like oils on canvas, and what strikes me first is how he balances the geometry of architecture with a painterly touch. I love the materiality of the paint here, look closely and you can see how the buildings are built up with layers of thick impasto, especially in the whites and greys, creating a rough, almost stucco-like texture, while the lines are sharp and confident. Notice how the roofs are rendered in these warm terracotta tones, almost like a conversation between the cool, muted whites and greys of the buildings and the sky above. It's as if the warmth of the earth is trying to break through the cool distance of the sky. Salahov's work reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, in that he finds endless fascination in the simple forms of the everyday, but with a slightly different sensibility and mood. Both artists invite us to slow down and really look at the world around us.