Absheron still life 1973

Sattar Bahlulzade made this still life, Absheron Still Life, with oil on canvas. It’s a symphony of dabs and dashes; the paint is applied so directly, you can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the canvas. Look at the surface texture – it’s alive! The colours aren’t blended so much as they’re layered. Bahlulzade builds up this incredible vibrancy, and it’s through that active process that we see his vision. This approach gives the still life an emotional energy, almost like a landscape. In the lower left corner, see those small, circular fruits scattered across the foreground? They’re each rendered with such care, each a tiny world of colour and light. This reminds me of Van Gogh, with his thick impasto and emotionally charged brushwork. But where Van Gogh is tormented, Bahlulzade feels joyful, celebrating life’s abundance. Art isn’t about answers; it's about opening up a space for feeling and thinking.