Untitled 1999

Mostafa Dashti made this untitled artwork with what looks like oil paint, and with a real sense of urgency. The color palette feels like a dark dream. I love how you can see the hand of the artist in the brushstrokes. It's like he's wrestling with the paint, trying to capture something fleeting. Up close, you can see how the paint is built up in layers. The brushstrokes are thick and juicy, and they create a real sense of depth and texture. The whole surface has a kind of roughness, like it's been through something. And that little patch of green in the middle, it feels like a glimmer of hope in all that darkness. It reminds me a bit of some of Guston's later work, that same sense of grappling with big emotions. Ultimately, the painting invites us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the table. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a dialogue between the artist, the artwork, and the viewer.