Lot 109: Untitled (Blue Wave)

Ahmed Alsoudani (Iraqi, b.1975) Untitled (Blue Wave) charcoal, acrylic and pastel on paper 78¾ x 59 5/8in. (199 x 151.5cm.) Painted in 2009

199 x 151.5cm.

Berlin, Goff + Rosenthal, Ahmed Alsoudani: New Drawings, 2009.

Goff + Rosenthal, New York. Private Collection. Anon. sale, Sotheby's London, 13 October 2012, lot 113. Haunch of Venison, London.

Iraqi born Ahmed Alsoudani fled from Iraq to Syria during the Gulf War and settled in America where he sought asylum and lives there ever since. The tenacity of his oeuvre comes from a turbulent source of inspiration; using the imagery of war as the predominant guider of his aesthetics, the artist shows no restraint in unleashing visual manifestations of intense movement and violence. By combining the iconography of both his childhood memories of war-torn communities and current interpretations of suffering, the artist's works echo the harshness of war and conflict. Having perfected a contemporary style which boasts a myriad of cultural and political influences, the artist has received incredible international attention. His disfigured compositions of war delicately and subtly bridge the dichotomy between aesthetic beauty and violence. Alsoudani's gestures show no restraint as his beautifully disfigured and haunted characters obliterate his canvases. As though they have been caught in the midst of intense action, the intertwining of his beastly figures creates a sense of dynamism that harmonises the entire canvas. The bulging muscularity of his figures heighten the scene's ferocity. Their exaggerated, oddly accentuated features have become synonymous to the artist's style. Laced with a morbid and barbed sense of humour, his figures look almost animated as he severely manipulates proportion, creating an unusual sense of space and dimension throughout the canvas. What is fascinating about the present work is the ability to evoke such powerful imagery with a limited colour palette. Through the intense contrasts between light and shadow, the artist excelled in grasping both strength and intensity through the scene, showing not only his masterful use of line, but also his skill in orchestrating a truly turbulent and dynamic aesthetic.