The Letter 1984

Morteza Katouzian created this painting, The Letter, on a canvas measuring 100 by 70 centimeters. It looks like he built the image from a dark ground, bringing it slowly into the light. I’m thinking about the woman, the fabric around her head, the crinkled paper in her hand. She’s looking away, maybe into a past we can’t see but she clearly can. And the child—it’s intense, right? What’s that letter they’re both so drawn to? I imagine Katouzian layering thin glazes to build up the shadows, then adding highlights to bring out those details. The way he captures the texture of the fabrics is just incredible—you can almost feel the weight of that heavy veil. His work reminds me a bit of some Old Masters who used dramatic lighting and intense realism, but his style is totally his own. This piece feels like it is part of a much wider conversation.