Portrait 2018

Alaa Awad made this portrait, we don’t know exactly when, but the way the paint has been applied gives it this real sense of immediacy, like we’re catching a glimpse of a private moment. It’s mostly reds and oranges, isn't it? And the interesting thing is the interplay between the flat areas of color and the intricate, almost decorative patterns, painted on top. You can see how the black outlines give the impression of form, but also flatten the image again. Look at the way the red of the headscarf contrasts with the red of her robe, but also melts into the skin tone of her face. The texture of the paint is pretty evident, and you can almost feel the movement of the artist’s hand as they applied the paint to the canvas. It reminds me a little bit of Matisse, with that same love of bold color and pattern. It's that tension between representation and abstraction that keeps me coming back to it.