Salman Khoshroo (sul-MAN KUH-shroo) used to paint with a brush. Then the artist starting experimenting with a palette knife, smearing paint across his canvases. “Paint is a difficult substance to control,” he says. “Usually the less you dabble in it, the better.”
Khoshroo works in many colors, blending the paint on the canvas’s surface. He uses thick paint to create the highlights and shadows. Notice the bright-white streaks on the cheek and the dark jaw in the example at left.
Though he grew up in New York City, Khoshroo now lives in Tehran, Iran. The city is experiencing a booming art movement following decades of artistic censorship. “The Iranian identity is in transition,” the artist says. Living in Tehran “gives me a sense of purpose.”