Blossoming almond tree 1972

Sattar Bahlulzade made "Blossoming Almond Tree" with strokes of white, blue and green oil paint that evoke the very sensation of being in nature. I can almost feel Bahlulzade’s hand moving across the canvas, building up a tactile surface of strokes, layering color upon color until it reaches a kind of shimmering density. Look at how the dabs of paint create these shimmering branches, like a flurry of spring energy bursting forth. He's not just painting trees, he's painting the feeling of life pushing through, like he is possessed, and how great is that? You can feel the influence of artists like Van Gogh and the Impressionists. He seems to be in conversation with their ideas about light, color, and the natural world, but he's doing his own thing, too. It is a beautiful thing, this community of painters sharing ideas across time and space, inspiring each other to see and feel more deeply.