Mehfil;Party 2019

Salman Toor’s painting, Mehfil;Party, presents a contemporary scene rendered in a style that recalls early modernism. Using oil paints on canvas, Toor achieves a luminous effect through thin, washy layers. This isn't about bravura brushwork or thick impasto, but rather, a delicate build-up of color that suggests the passage of time, and memory. The application of the material feels almost provisional, as though Toor is less concerned with creating a perfect illusion than with capturing a mood. The use of oil paint is interesting here. It’s a very traditional medium, associated with art history and the canon, but applied in a way that feels immediate and personal. The subject is a casual social gathering, a “mehfil” in Urdu. The way the scene is composed and painted gives it a distinctive atmosphere, suggesting intimacy and shared experience. The material and the making are central to the work’s evocative power. Toor isn’t just depicting a scene; he’s using the very act of painting to create a space for connection. It’s a great example of how a traditional medium can be used to express something deeply contemporary.