Group 2020

Editor: We’re looking at "Group" by Salman Toor, created in 2020 using both oil and acrylic paint. I find the figures unsettling; they're clustered together, but their expressions are withdrawn. What formal elements stand out to you? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to Toor’s handling of color. Notice how he uses a muted palette, primarily variations of greens and browns, creating a somewhat disharmonious composition with unexpected skin tones. This is interesting because it highlights a formal push-pull, especially given the spatial ambiguities. Are these figures in the same space, or are they layered through visual means? Editor: I see what you mean about the space; they almost seem to fade in and out of each other. The brushstrokes also feel very deliberate, visible and not blended smoothly. Curator: Exactly. The visible brushwork contributes to the painting's surface texture. It draws attention to the materiality of the paint itself, reinforcing its constructed nature. This isn’t an illusionistic window but rather a collection of gestures, of strokes and deliberate compositional arrangements. How do the objects in the lower portion of the canvas impact the scene? Editor: The cell phone and electronic device appear disconnected from the figures, lying horizontally below them. Curator: Precisely. They serve as interesting modern counterpoints. It calls into question whether we can read this as an assertion about technology as both a unifier and divider. Are they ignoring the very tools designed to connect them? Or do these objects act merely as signifiers for present-day, functioning merely as timestamps? Editor: This perspective enriches how I view Toor's artistic strategy, inviting contemplation on how color, texture, and subject arrangement converge to explore modern experience. Thank you. Curator: Indeed. By focusing on these intrinsic elements, we move toward a more complete appreciation for Toor's painting itself.