Child in the Garden 1978

Chaibia Talal made this painting, Child in the Garden, with loose brushstrokes and a palette that's both bright and earthy. It’s as if the act of painting itself is a kind of playful exploration, a dance between intention and chance. The painting pulses with thick textures and raw energy. Look closely, and you’ll see how the brushstrokes are laid down with such confidence, almost like she’s sculpting with color. I love the way she uses the black lines to give definition. There's one, near the bottom of the image, that curls in on itself like a snail's shell. These sorts of lines seem to emphasize that the piece is trying to express the natural world. It's as if the artist is asking what happens when nature is seen through the eyes of a child. Talal’s work reminds me a bit of Henri Rousseau – that same untamed spirit. Ultimately, art is an ongoing dialogue, a conversation that stretches across time and space, always open to new voices and interpretations.