Paul Gauguin 2015

Andrey Allakhverdov made this painting, Paul Gauguin, with oil on canvas. Right away, I’m drawn to the painting’s surface, the way the colours blend, a swirl of greens, yellows, pinks and browns, especially in the background. It's like watching paint itself become a living, breathing thing. The figures are fascinating, aren't they? The artist, and two women who both seem to be looking in different directions, almost as if they are not quite in the same time or space. I get a sense of the push and pull between abstraction and representation. Take the dark brown apron of the painter for example, it’s almost like a Rorschach test, or a landscape, you could lose yourself in there. Allakhverdov seems to be winking at Gauguin, while also bringing his own unique vision. It's a reminder that art isn't about answers; it's about the questions we ask along the way.