Falling Angels I 1993

Aydin Aghdashloo made this painting, *Falling Angels I*, with oils, and it feels like a strange dream, doesn’t it? Imagine the painting coming into being: starting with the somber, muted green of the background, then the shadowy figure emerging from the depths, rendered with such tangible brushstrokes… There’s something about the torn fragments obscuring his eyes that really gets to me. What could Aghdashloo have been thinking, when he created these cuts? Those vibrant yellows and blues seem to come from another world – perhaps from an illuminated manuscript, where angels dwell. The contrast is jarring, yet strangely beautiful. The way Aghdashloo plays with texture, the smooth skin against the rough edges of the fragments, it all adds to the feeling of unease. It’s like he’s inviting us to question what we see, and how we see it. It reminds me of other artists who collage together different worlds. Perhaps this painting might inspire us to embrace a bit of ambiguity in our own lives.