Shot dead 1971

Ozdemir Atlan made this painting called ‘Shot Dead’ with fluid strokes of red, blue, and black against an orange backdrop. I can imagine Atlan working on this, almost like a dance between intention and accident. The figures emerge from the canvas, not quite solid, more like fleeting thoughts. The paint is applied thinly in layers that build up to create textured surfaces. Look at that figure in the foreground – the dark swirls of paint around the head, as if struggling to find form. It reminds me of Francis Bacon, how he wrestled with the human form, pushing and pulling it into new shapes. I like how Atlan uses color to evoke feeling. The red screams passion or anger, while the blue hints at something deeper, perhaps sadness or contemplation. Painters like Atlan and Bacon show us that art is about more than just representation. It's about feeling, thinking, and experiencing the world in new ways. They inspire me to keep pushing my own boundaries, to embrace the messy, imperfect, and uncertain nature of making art.