Southern wind 1965

Sattar Bahlulzade made this painting, Southern Wind, and who knows when, with oil paint. It’s a whole world of pinks and greens, isn't it? Making art is like talking, you start with some colors, some marks, and see where they take you. Look at the ground, it is built up from these energetic brushstrokes. The pink paint looks thin, it's almost like watercolor in places. Bahlulzade used a small brush to make the marks, but it adds up to something expansive. Then there are these great globs of green for the trees. Thick and juicy, like he was really digging into the paint. Those trees are so full of life, even the twisted root looks animated. It reminds me of Milton Avery, the way he simplified forms and used color to create atmosphere. But Bahlulzade has his own thing going on, a kind of wildness that's all his own. It’s not pinned down, it’s a feeling.