Time After Time 2018

Salman Toor made this painting, *Time After Time*, with oil on panel, and I love the way the paint kinda sits on the surface. It's not trying to hide itself. Look at how the colors glow—that saturated orange of the figure on the left just vibrates against the cool green of the armchair. It's like a clash, but a good clash, you know? And the way Toor handles the brushstrokes, they're loose, almost casual, but they build up to create these really tender, intimate moments. I'm thinking especially of the brushstrokes on the left figure's back, how they curve and define the space, they give the feeling that the figure is leaning in to whisper something. It reminds me a bit of early Fairfield Porter, that same sense of everyday life elevated through color and light. But Toor brings his own contemporary perspective, his own unique voice to the conversation. Ultimately, it's up to us to decide what this all means.