DESERT PAYSAGE 13 1992

Rashid Al Khalifa made "Desert Paysage 13" and, looking at the gestural brushwork, it’s clear that it's all about the process, like jazz but with paint. The way he handles the paint is fascinating. It's neither thick nor thin, but somewhere in between, allowing a certain transparency that lets the white of the canvas peek through. It gives the painting an airy, dreamlike quality. The colors are muted, earthy pinks and browns, punctuated by these surprising strokes of bright blue. Look at the top right corner, there’s this scribble of greens and browns, like the painting is actively thinking, changing its mind. This relates to the whole piece because it invites us to participate in the act of seeing, making up our own stories about what this desert landscape might be. It makes me think of Joan Mitchell, she was also interested in how landscape can be an echo of inner emotional life. Ultimately, what makes painting so great is that it's more about questions than answers.