A Portrait Of Anonymity: Salman Khoshroo Molds Emotive Faces From Smeared Paint

In this recent series of portraits with the same title, the subject’s facial features are not defined: “Instead, the aim is to capture a human spark with minimal intervention,” Khoshroo explains to IGNANT. “These faces are the result of simply taking a chunk of paint and molding it,” he says. Painted with a single pigment, Khoshroo applies generously thick layers of paint, forming outlines of faces with just a handful of swift movements—each step of the artist’s process can be followed through viewing the works. The result is a series of lively textured paintings that, although displaying no physical features, are imbued with human emotions. Through this method, Khoshroo creates “people that make you feel something, people you didn’t even know you were looking for.” Like many of his other paintings, the works in ‘White on White’ constitute abstract images composed of thickly applied paint with bold strokes, achieving a visual that is reminiscent of paintings from the Impressionist art movement.