'It's Up To You'
By Riad HATTOUTI
© 2020
Polyptych of 9 Panels - Oil on Canvas
33W x  41H x 2L (X9)
 
This painting was done using premium thick body oil paint, professionally stretched canvas. Manipulated with touches of paint with both brushstrokes and knife strokes (spatula), with the fat on lean technique, sometimes I wait weeks for the base coats dry to work on it, the result is diametrically opposed to other techniques: working my paintings with knife and playing with time allowed me to develop my own writing, but it took time, work and patience.
 
'Your Life, friend, is an island separate from all other islands and regions. No matter how many boats leave your shores for other countries, no matter how many fleets dock there, you will forever be a separate island, suffering the throes of loneliness and yearning for happiness. Other men do not know you and they are far from sympathizing with your loneliness or understanding you.I saw you my brother when, sitting on your mound of gold, you were rejoicing in your riches.You were proud of your treasures and anchored in the belief that every handful of gold collected would weave an invisible link between the desires and thoughts of others and your own.In my imagination you appeared as a great conqueror, leading his troops to assault the fortresses of the enemy'  Khalil Gibran