Untitled 2008

This "Untitled" painting by Rafa Nasiri is a trip into the blue, and feels like it was made with all the blues in the world. Nasiri clearly lets the process lead, with translucent layers and opaque patches creating a surface that seems to breathe. Check out the way the paint pools and drips, especially where that dark upper section meets the calligraphy. It’s like the paint itself is writing poetry. The gold pops against the blue, acting like a key to decode the painting’s secrets. It is thick in places, almost like impasto, and elsewhere it dissolves into a thin glaze, like watercolour. Nasiri's work reminds me a little bit of Cy Twombly, especially how both artists incorporate text and abstraction in ways that feel both ancient and totally contemporary. Ultimately, this painting invites us to linger, to let the blues wash over us, and to find our own meanings in its depths. It’s not about knowing what it means, but feeling what it evokes.