| Gallery director Jonathan Shorr tells me that all of these most recent works by Selma Hafizovic on display in his gallery were inspired by one work, THE BEST OF FRIENDS. Depicted in this oil on canvas are two dark, gray heads closely tucked together. They appear to be emoting, whispering their most intimate thoughts to one another like hollow, Edvard Munch-like souls. The cool and deep tones and the closely cropped composition are successful, and would inspire most artists to continue searching—so I see the importance in mentioning its pivotal role in this series. |  |
The Best of Friends – D. Dominick Lombardi
Gallery director Jonathan Shorr tells me that all of these most recent works by Selma Hafizovic on display in his gallery were inspired by one work, THE BEST OF FRIENDS. Depicted in this oil on canvas are two dark, gray heads closely tucked together. They appear to be emoting, whispering their most intimate thoughts to one another like hollow, Edvard Munch-like souls. The cool and deep tones and the closely cropped composition are successful, and would inspire most artists to continue searching—so I see the importance in mentioning its pivotal role in this series. What follows, however, is a strange and multi-pronged path that takes the artist from this dark and focused point in BEST OF FRIENDS, toward odd portraits, expressive landscapes and curious vignettes.
And there are pop culture references here too, such as the hooded figure in SNOW MAN, which reminded this reviewer of the 70s cartoon character Dumb Donald (a character whose name is found on the internet under Fat Albert). However, the dark tones, the reclined position, as if the subject were on a medical examiner’s table, and the very worried expression that pops through the holes of his head covering creates a mood that is quite potent, unforgettable and even creepy.
Another portrait, let’s call it, is the work titled BLUE BLOOD. It features a mostly obscured older woman’s face behind madly dashed gray lines and squares. This peek-a-boo composition shows grit and contention somehow, and makes for highly charged interpretations by all who see it.
On the second level of the gallery are more curious paintings. SUNSET combines Philip Guston’s middle, Abstract Expressionist period with his later psychologically charged representations, which are nicely added to with accents of squiggly forms, quick, small shadows and overlapping, construction-minded brush strokes. In this work too, one can see a sort of scattered complexity of muddied colors and divergent techniques that is quite mesmerizing and entertaining.
Then there is ON DRY LAND. At first, it looks like a loosely rendered, somewhat mildly arabesque poolscape; something like a theatrically tampered with version of a David Hockney poolscape. But, on second look, a dark figure emerges holding what looks to be another body across his shoulders. These two figures, which break the lower picture plane, tell a dark story, which brings the whole exhibition around, and back to its inspiration, THE BEST OF FRIENDS.
