Lot 111: Secret of Wisdom

Golnaz Fathi (Iranian, b. 1972)
Secret of Wisdom
signed and dated 'Golnaz Fathi 2007' (lower right)
acrylic on canvas
Triptych each 17¾ x 70 7/8in. (45 x 180cm.); overall 53 1/8in. (135 x 180cm.)
Painted in 2007

Trained in classical calligraphy, the paintings of Golnaz Fathi are based on the Persian letterform, but the text is deliberately abstracted and indecipherable. It therefore becomes more a mode of visual expression rather than a literal transcription. In this work this pseudo-script is laid out like that in historical Persian treatises and scientific almanacs, strewn with diagrams and marginal commentaries.