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Lot Essay
Employing ancient symbols, which are occasionally figurative in his early
paintings, Iranian artist Massoud Arabshahi later incorporated abstraction into
his compositions, of which the present lot is an example. Indicating a more
deliberate and thoughtful application of motifs resulting from careful studies
of Persian and Islamic art history, his rich and varied palette of cross-hatched
horizontal brushstrokes include subtle elements such as circles, squares, curves,
spiral and mathematical signs, architectural plans, numbers and parabolic lines.
The circle represents the universe, in its wholeness and perfection. In Islamic
art the circle represents the vaulted sky and divine light; the square manifests
the earth and perfect stability. A square inside a circle or a circle inside a square
represents a transformation of the spherical form of the sky on a rectangular
Earth or vice versa. The cross manifests the centre of the world; a point where
the earth and heaven meet; a cosmic axis. In Islam it signifies the union of all
states of being, sublime identity and horizontal and vertical expansion. The
vertical line is the celestial, spiritual, subjective, positive and active aspect,
whereas the horizontal line demonstrates earthly, logical, passive and negative
aspects.
Application of these elements attaches a geometric sense to Arabshahis work,
re-interpreting ancient symbols within a modern context. The arrows, scales,
numbers, parabolic lines, hatching and graffiti in the present work beckons the
mysterious spirit of ancient times into the dynamic world of today.
paintings, Iranian artist Massoud Arabshahi later incorporated abstraction into
his compositions, of which the present lot is an example. Indicating a more
deliberate and thoughtful application of motifs resulting from careful studies
of Persian and Islamic art history, his rich and varied palette of cross-hatched
horizontal brushstrokes include subtle elements such as circles, squares, curves,
spiral and mathematical signs, architectural plans, numbers and parabolic lines.
The circle represents the universe, in its wholeness and perfection. In Islamic
art the circle represents the vaulted sky and divine light; the square manifests
the earth and perfect stability. A square inside a circle or a circle inside a square
represents a transformation of the spherical form of the sky on a rectangular
Earth or vice versa. The cross manifests the centre of the world; a point where
the earth and heaven meet; a cosmic axis. In Islam it signifies the union of all
states of being, sublime identity and horizontal and vertical expansion. The
vertical line is the celestial, spiritual, subjective, positive and active aspect,
whereas the horizontal line demonstrates earthly, logical, passive and negative
aspects.
Application of these elements attaches a geometric sense to Arabshahis work,
re-interpreting ancient symbols within a modern context. The arrows, scales,
numbers, parabolic lines, hatching and graffiti in the present work beckons the
mysterious spirit of ancient times into the dynamic world of today.