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Lot Essay
Using abstract figuration as his main source of content, Rafa Al Nasiri creates compelling compositions that represent nature as well as Arabic calligraphy. Most notably inspired by Chinese arts, mainly the technique of ink drawing and the use of negative space, Al Nasiri merges deeply saturated colours together with fluid gestural lines to create enveloping abstracted and spatial landscapes. A prolific writer on the history of printmaking, we can always see how his works use printmaking as a base.
Born in 1940 in Tikrit, Iraq, Rafa al-Nasiri earned a bachelor’s degree in printmaking from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1959. Upon graduating, he took interest in Chinese art and decided to further pursue his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he studied printmaking with Huang Yu Yi from 1959 to 1963. Later, Al Nasiri obtained a scholarship to attend the Gulbenkian Foundation at Gravura Lisbon, Portugal. In the late 1960’s, he returned to Iraq with a new outlook on approaching his works. He had gained a high level of technical skills and professional knowledge that his work was incomparable to those of his contemporaries. Upon his return, he co-founded the New Vision Group in 1967 (Al Ru’yya Al Jadidah), alongside Dia Azzawi (B. 1939), Saleh al-Jumaie (B. 1939), Ismail Fattah (1934-2004), Mohammed Muhriddin (b. 1938) and Hashim Samarchi (B. 1939) as a response to the Arab war against Israel.
Al Nasiri created works that celebrate beauty, love and his homeland. By devoting his palette to both bright and more subdued colors, he is able to merge poetry and the element of time in his compositions. This piece, proudly presented by Christie’s embodies Al Nasiri’s urge to convey simplicity while simultaneously expressing a link between the spirit and the soul, between balance and harmony. His aim is to convey “the unison of the individual with himself and his environment.” (in interview with Martina Sabra, 2008). Through his need for space and tranquility, Al Nasiri uses art to help strengthen the Iraqi identity.
Born in 1940 in Tikrit, Iraq, Rafa al-Nasiri earned a bachelor’s degree in printmaking from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1959. Upon graduating, he took interest in Chinese art and decided to further pursue his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he studied printmaking with Huang Yu Yi from 1959 to 1963. Later, Al Nasiri obtained a scholarship to attend the Gulbenkian Foundation at Gravura Lisbon, Portugal. In the late 1960’s, he returned to Iraq with a new outlook on approaching his works. He had gained a high level of technical skills and professional knowledge that his work was incomparable to those of his contemporaries. Upon his return, he co-founded the New Vision Group in 1967 (Al Ru’yya Al Jadidah), alongside Dia Azzawi (B. 1939), Saleh al-Jumaie (B. 1939), Ismail Fattah (1934-2004), Mohammed Muhriddin (b. 1938) and Hashim Samarchi (B. 1939) as a response to the Arab war against Israel.
Al Nasiri created works that celebrate beauty, love and his homeland. By devoting his palette to both bright and more subdued colors, he is able to merge poetry and the element of time in his compositions. This piece, proudly presented by Christie’s embodies Al Nasiri’s urge to convey simplicity while simultaneously expressing a link between the spirit and the soul, between balance and harmony. His aim is to convey “the unison of the individual with himself and his environment.” (in interview with Martina Sabra, 2008). Through his need for space and tranquility, Al Nasiri uses art to help strengthen the Iraqi identity.