Interlude 2020

Timur Akhriev made this painting, Interlude, with what looks like expressive brushstrokes and a vibrant palette. It feels like the making of the piece was a real journey. The texture in this piece is something else, right? You can almost feel the thickness of the paint, especially in the way the colors blend and bleed into each other. Look closely at the way Akhriev handles the floral elements around the figure: there's a real push and pull between abstraction and representation happening. The paint is applied so thickly in some areas that it almost becomes sculptural, while in others it's more transparent, allowing the colors underneath to peek through. It reminds me a bit of Bonnard, in the way he uses color to create atmosphere and mood. It’s like the painting is breathing, inviting you into its own little world, one mark at a time.