At first glance Julian Schnabel’s 1993 painting Fakires looks a little murder-y.

The thick paint and red and earthy coloration give it a very bodily, somewhat gory sensibility. The shapes are very energetic and gestural - frantic, even. Do I go too far to say possessed? “Possessed” may actually be a pretty on-point descriptor for this work. This painting is part of a series of works inspired by names and phrases, that Schnabel began in the late 1980s. In these paintings, he thinks about narrative references rather than imagery, though this particular work has a lot of visual similarities to Schnabel’s earlier, more expressionist paintings. The word that Schnabel considers here is strewn across the canvas: “fakires.” At first I had no idea what this meant. Is it like faking something? A strange spelling of fairy? Some non-English word? A “Fakir” is a holy man who is self-sufficient, only needing god. This word often references muslim or hindu mystics who have extreme self-control and intense bolidy endurance. Schnabel seems fascinated by the difficulty of that vocation: the sacrifice of oneself for God. It’s really quite epic. So perhaps in some ways Schnabel was possessed by inspiration in creating this painting. Possessed by his adoration of the fakir’s adoration, if you will. It is very complex - much like his painting style. How apropos.

People less familiar with Schnabel’s painting might be put-off by this piece. For those who know him as a film director on things like Basquiat or the recent (and deeply beautiful) film At Eternity’s Gate, the darkness of this piece is intense. This painting is a far cry from the glowing shots of Van Gogh’s landscapes from that movie.

Of his work, Schnabel has said “My paintings take up room, they make a stand. People will always react to that. Some people get inspired, others get offended. But, that's good. I like that.” Clearly, whether you think this painting feels spiritual, bloody, earthy, dirty, inspired, or grotesque (all of which are valid) he doesn’t care. Regardless, it is sure to cause some kind of reaction, even if just shock at the size of the work - a whopping 9 feet tall and 7 feet across! As long as Schnabel has provoked you, he’ll chalk it up to being a success.