Exhibit: Ali Hasmut

The appeal of the Palette and Chisel
to artists from around the world
has always fascinated me.


In the beginning,
it was mostly men from Germany and Austria


More recently,
we've had our share
of Russians and Chinese.





But, so far as I know,
Ali Hasmut is our first member from Iraq.








And, as noted in my post
about this year's Gold Medal Show
I really enjoy his work.












It may be in the ongoing tradition
of American Impressionism
championed by Richard Schmid and Jeremy Lipking,
but there's a kind of sensuality
that also feels very Middle Eastern to me.






Let's hope he can find good market
for his work here in Chicago
so his next show will be in a commerical gallery.

(My review of his show can be found here .)