Tea & Cigarettes

The painterly out-of-focus background of this piece places the protagonists on center stage—undoubtedly two of Ayvalik’s horse-cart drivers, based on their attire. Exhausted after a long day, they find solace in tea and cigarettes in the teahouse right opposite Arif’s home-studio. One driver seems to have fallen asleep (or is he just burying his face in his arms?), while the other looks wistfully past him while seeming to place a comforting hand on his friend’s back.