“Greeting of Morning” is an expansive oil painting that serves as a bridge between the artist’s Mongolian heritage and the bold, emotive language of Contemporary Expressionism. Created in 2005, this large-scale work (160 cm in width) utilizes the tactile richness of oil to capture a moment of transition—the quiet, yet powerful awakening of the day.
Composition and Style
True to Oilan Janatkhan’s background in Abstract Expressionism, the painting prioritizes mood and energy over literal representation. The composition is likely anchored by a horizontal orientation that mimics the vastness of the Mongolian steppe, using broad, confident brushstrokes to define the landscape.
The Play of Light: The “Greeting” is rendered through a sophisticated palette of warm ambers, soft ochres, and perhaps deep, receding indigos. Janatkhan uses the thickness of the oil medium to create texture, allowing light to catch on the ridges of the paint, simulating the first glint of sun hitting the earth.
Abstract Elements: While the title suggests a landscape, the execution leans toward the abstract. Shapes are suggested rather than defined; a nomadic dwelling (ger) or a distant mountain range may be hinted at through gestural lines and layered pigments, inviting the viewer to find their own sense of place within the color.
Artistic Philosophy
Reflecting his education at the Institute of Fine Art (1987-1991) and his extensive travels through European art capitals like Paris and Amsterdam, Janatkhan blends traditional Eastern soul with Western Modernist techniques.
Expressionist Vitality: The painting is not merely a depiction of a sunrise but an emotional response to it. The heavy application of paint conveys a sense of permanence and ruggedness, characteristic of Janatkhan’s “Modern/Contemporary” style.
Cultural Resonance: There is a spiritual undertone to the work—a reverence for the morning as a sacred, recurring ritual. The scale of the canvas (100 x 160 cm) ensures that the viewer is physically enveloped by this atmosphere, mirroring the infinite horizons of Janatkhan’s birthplace, Ulaanbaatar.
