Untitled

Maker(s)
Artist: Pouran Jinchi (Iran, born 1959; active United States)
Historical period(s)
1998
Medium
Etching; ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 28 x 25.9 cm (11 x 10 3/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Bertram Schnaffner, M.D.
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S2000.121
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Intaglio

Keywords
Iran
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Jinchi's 1998 untitled etching is a tribute to Hafiz, the celebrated thirteenth-century mystical poet from Iran. Delicately etched words, referring to one of Hafiz's poems, cover the surface of the paper, while dark letters float above, evoking the poem's lyricism and mystical mood. By drawing on the graphic potential of the Arabic alphabet, Jinchi has created both a literal and abstract expression of the poem.  Stripped to its most essential elements, untitled serves as a highly personal visual translation of certain mystical concepts, expressed in a new and contemporary idiom.

Published References
  • Sophie Curtil. L'Art par 1001 Mains. Milan and Paris. .
  • Ladan Akbarnia, Francesca Leoni. The Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam. Exh. cat. London and New Haven. cat. 28, pp. 78-79.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World, Contemporary Art
Web Resources
Whistler's Neighborhood
Google Cultural Institute
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