Passage 

Curator: This oil painting is titled "Passage" by Timur Akhriev. The artist paints a dense forest with exaggerated hues, a common stylistic feature of expressionism. What are your initial thoughts when looking at this work? Editor: It’s moody! And weirdly…aquatic? The blue tones on the trees against that deep, almost wine-colored forest floor create this surreal, underwater feeling, like I’m walking through a sunken forest. It is compelling and disturbing at the same time. Curator: You bring up an interesting point. While identified as expressionist and perhaps even neo-expressionist in its style, you almost detect seascape vibes. Forests hold powerful places in the visual lexicon that serve many symbolic and cultural functions, especially regarding individual psychological exploration. Akhriev's exaggerated palette builds from earlier generations like the Post-Impressionists and others affiliated with Romanticism. It makes you wonder what his personal "passage" or experience he is attempting to show in paint. Editor: A passage, exactly! Like a portal or journey into some subconscious space. I keep circling back to those electric blue trees, they don't look like trees but feel like standing at a trailhead I have visited many times. The perspective seems skewed, almost claustrophobic. Did you notice the distant light breaking through the trees? It feels so far, like the light at the end of a long, possibly arduous, trek. Or maybe I am just projecting after a stressful week? Curator: Not at all! This feeling you are having may even stem from the title “Passage”. The artist paints a beautiful, and potentially even emotionally complex, trail to wherever this leads. The artwork may have even intentionally wanted to be unmoored in the visual references you speak to in your interpretation: both a forest, but also maybe water. The work may welcome the viewer to engage in self-analysis, where both artist and audience explore a common passage together. Editor: It is interesting to consider how art allows for universal introspection using common references or “landscapes." Timur’s piece, like any strong visual representation, certainly asks me to join the journey. I think I feel ready to take the next step toward light now, so to speak.