Portrait of Fuzuli 1970

Sattar Bahlulzade painted this portrait of Fuzuli, a 16th-century poet, using oil on canvas. Look at the way those brushstrokes create a sort of shimmering effect, almost like he's emerging from a watery dream. I wonder what Bahlulzade was thinking as he laid down those blues and whites, striating the background like rain. The paint looks pretty thin, scrubbed on almost, which gives the whole thing this ethereal vibe. His hands clasped—you can feel a sense of quiet contemplation, right? It's like he’s caught in a moment of introspection. Bahlulzade’s known for these landscapes that are just exploding with color, so this portrait feels like a quieter, more personal detour. It’s amazing how painters, through a gesture, a color, or a mark, can channel not just likeness but feeling, and thought itself. We're all just riffing off each other, across time, trying to make sense of the world one brushstroke at a time.