The title Yemen suggest that this painting is a representation of the wilderness in the nation of the same name, however it is readily apparent that the depiction is of some alien and surreal landscape. Perhaps this is a view from the planet Yemen instead. If so, this strange world doesn't adhere to the normal rules of spatial dimension. In some cases object are presented in two dimensions and layered on to one another while in other places an almost realistic three dimensional view is utilized.
The most striking of these spatial abnormalities is the leafy section of the tree. Each section of leaves are shown as the same triangular shape but of varying sizes, sometimes flipped in orientation.Why wasn't this technique used throughout the piece? so that the mountains are also represented by stacked identical triangles. Instead the jagged peaks could almost be a realistic version of some extreme desert crags as seen from a distance. The two spatial methods stand at opposition, one on the left the other used as a counterpoint far in the distance.
There are other oddities too. The tree is trunk and branches are made up of what appear to be dissociated plates clinging together as if they are doing their best to mimic the framework of a tree. Although still two dimensional, each piece is differently shaped and colored. The thorny scrub beneath the tree separates itself from the trunk by twisting about in a threatening and familiar way. The stone blocks that make up the platform the tree sprouts from are shown as simplified isometric blocks, three dimensional but not like true earthly stones.
The vast plain lacks any detail until the distant mountains crop up and as it fades into the distance it meets the perfectly straight horizon. Instead of marking a transition to expected contrasting sky it meekly sits between an atmosphere that is nearly the same shade as the earth. This makes the bulk of the background almost almost uniform in a yellow tan hue. Offering some form of respite from the desert like oppression are highly abstracted waves of blue representing clouds or some ethereal vaporized elixir. These waves of blue offer a sense of calm reassurance that not everything is bleak. But there also lies the suspicion that perhaps the clouds are not as soothing as they appear. In this cruel other-world the waves of vapor are probably toxic and waiting, hoping to touch the ground and scour it of life.
The tree in the end, with its unreal plates of foliage is the only true safe spot in this piece. The mountains too dry, and the sky filled with a deceptive poisonous cloud. The inhabitant of this surreal land can only hope some form of nourishing fruit grows from the tree while they await a rescue, a rescue that will arrive.
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