Autumn Arlekin 2017

Arsen Savadov’s “Autumn Arlekin” is a painting that seems to conjure itself into being with each brushstroke. The dreamy palette feels very intuitive, as though the painting has been led by the materials themselves. There’s a real tension between the grounded quality of the trees and the figure of the Arlekin, and the surrealist elements. I can see how the marks build up to describe the diamond pattern of the costume, but then contrast with the thinner, more flowing paintwork of the background. It’s almost as if the floating diamonds are trying to take off into the sky, while the cage and records hold the composition in place. I'm reminded of Balthus, in the way that both artists create an unsettling, dreamlike world that's both familiar and strange. But Savadov is really doing his own thing, creating this crazy clash of images that refuses to settle on any one meaning. It’s like he’s saying that art is a conversation that never ends, and it’s up to us to keep it going.