A Day Morning 1994

Morteza Katouzian, an Iranian realist painter born in 1943, created "A Day Morning" with oil on canvas. Katouzian's work often portrays scenes of daily life, rendered with a sharp eye for detail. In this painting, we see a woman sweeping a carpet, light cascading around her. Notice the way the light falls on the wall behind her, the shadows of tree branches dancing around her. In many ways, she seems suspended between interiority and exteriority, the private world of home and the vastness of the outer world. The painting offers a look into the gendered division of labor, with the woman engaged in the task of maintaining the home. Katouzian neither idealizes nor criticizes his subject, instead inviting viewers to consider the roles and realities of women in Iranian society. This canvas asks us to reflect on the unseen labor that shapes our lives.