Nativity 1961

Abdul Mati Klarwein made this painting, Nativity, and the layering of psychedelic imagery is amazing, right? It’s a trip, an actual head-trip! Check out the surface. The paint looks super smooth, almost airbrushed, and the colors are so bright and saturated. It’s like he’s building up layers of meaning, but also layers of sheer visual intensity. What I like about this painting is that the artist makes the process invisible. It is so seamless it almost becomes otherworldly, like a hallucination made real. Take a look at the umbrella held by the central figure, each panel shows a different face wearing sunglasses. It is unclear if they are famous figures, or just characters, but it is intriguing that they are literally shielding themselves from the scene. The painting becomes like a puzzle, inviting us to explore its multiple layers, meanings, and mysteries. Very 60's, and very cool. Like Magritte, maybe?