Album of Flower Paintings 1855 - 1905

Editor: This is "Album of Flower Paintings," dating roughly from 1855 to 1905, by Fathallah Shirazi, rendered in ink and paint on paper. I am really struck by the contrast between the botanical illustration within the oval and the geometric decoration surrounding it. How do you read that tension? Curator: Note first the precise delineation of forms. Each petal, leaf, and stem meticulously rendered with subtle gradations of tone. Consider how the artist uses line to define shape and create volume. Do you observe any inconsistencies, areas where the illusion falters? Editor: Not really, it all feels pretty cohesive to me. But I’m interested in the sort of visual vocabulary the artist employs... I mean, it all seems a bit stylized to be literal representations of plant life. Curator: Indeed. Consider the framing geometric elements. How do those shapes play against the botanical rendering contained within the form? Semiotically speaking, what tensions are evident? Editor: So you’re thinking about what meaning is produced by having this tension, by playing with those formal contrasts? Curator: Precisely. Line, tone, shape, form; they all carry an information load. Does that tension resolve itself? Where does your eye settle? Editor: I think my eye wants to go back and forth between the outside geometric shapes and the organic illustration. It does create tension, which means I get sort of stuck visually in the piece as a whole. Curator: The formalism supports the intended iconography; surface, texture, line, light and shadow; this enhances my appreciation. What a wealth of potential resides in a singular work!