.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The artist pays homage to characters from both Eastern and Western tragic tales of love, expressing the utter universality of this phenomenon.
Majnoon Leila (translated in English as 'Mad for Leila') from the Celebrated Sweethearts series is based on the classical Arabian tale of Qays and Leila that was later popularized by the Persian poet Nezami. Qays was an Arab poet who fell in love with a maiden from his own tribe, Leila, to whom he began writing love poems. His efforts to woo Leila led everyone to call him Majnoon, so that when he asked for her hand, her father refused for fear of the scandal that would ensue. Soon after, Leila married another man and upon hearing this, Majnoon wandered into the desert never to be found again.
In the present work, the artist depicts Majnoon himself, without Leila by his side. He appears floating, as a wraith, lost and without direction. He uses shreds of metal as Majnoon's clothing, giving the impression that they were torn from his body by the harsh desert winds.
Majnoon Leila (translated in English as 'Mad for Leila') from the Celebrated Sweethearts series is based on the classical Arabian tale of Qays and Leila that was later popularized by the Persian poet Nezami. Qays was an Arab poet who fell in love with a maiden from his own tribe, Leila, to whom he began writing love poems. His efforts to woo Leila led everyone to call him Majnoon, so that when he asked for her hand, her father refused for fear of the scandal that would ensue. Soon after, Leila married another man and upon hearing this, Majnoon wandered into the desert never to be found again.
In the present work, the artist depicts Majnoon himself, without Leila by his side. He appears floating, as a wraith, lost and without direction. He uses shreds of metal as Majnoon's clothing, giving the impression that they were torn from his body by the harsh desert winds.