Layers 2018

Soltan Soltanlı made this painting, Layers, sometime around 2018, and it feels like he just jumped right in, letting the paint do its thing. The colors are laid down kind of flat and direct, with these playful goats scattered around on the backs of some buffalo or oxen. It’s got this directness, you know? Look at the surface; the way the strokes just sit there, almost clumsy but full of intention. The colors aren't blended perfectly, and that's the beauty of it. There's a red goat standing proud on the backs of the dark beasts. It's like a little flag waving in the breeze. That bright color against the dark really makes it pop, doesn't it? This piece reminds me a little of Henri Rousseau; that same kind of innocent eye. Soltanlı isn’t trying to trick you with fancy techniques, he is inviting you to see the world with a fresh, unburdened perspective. And isn't that what art should be about, anyway?