End of an Era 1980

Aydin Aghdashloo made this portrait, called ‘End of an Era’, with what looks like meticulous attention to detail – especially in the rendering of the crown and jewelry. The colours are muted, earthy – a palette that speaks of history, perhaps, but there's a kind of violence done here too. Look at the red X, slashing across what appears to be a royal seal. It's as though the artist is deliberately defacing his own work, or perhaps a past that can no longer be fully realized. The texture is smooth, almost like glass, and yet there's this raw, disruptive mark. It feels incredibly present, almost confrontational in its simplicity. The tension between precision and destruction is what makes this painting so compelling. For me, it brings to mind artists like Gerhard Richter, who also explored the themes of memory and loss through the layering and erasure of images. It’s a reminder that art, like history, is never fixed or final.