Duet 2018

Soltan Soltanlı made this oil painting called Duet with juicy, thickly applied paint. I like to imagine Soltanlı was thinking about the relationship between humans and animals. Is the donkey singing? Is the man aware of his duet partner? The donkey certainly has a quizzical expression. It’s got an open mouth and its eyes are rolling. The clarinet player, on the other hand, looks serene, like he’s really feeling the music. I wonder if this painting is related to other work that deals with folklore or folk music? The perspective feels deliberately tilted. It’s what I like to call, almost-right-but-wrong-enough-to-be-interesting. So, does the painting embody a dreamlike quality, where the laws of perspective aren't exactly followed? The thick paint seems to bring the world into being. Ultimately, these scenes remind me that artists draw on art history but, more importantly, they draw on each other for ideas and inspiration.