Rain 2006

Here we see a photograph called "Rain" by Abbas Kiarostami. Through the lens of a rain-streaked window, Kiarostami blurs the boundary between abstraction and representation. The composition is dominated by the textural interplay of water droplets, which function as both subject and filter. Lines of water cascade down the glass, distorting the world beyond into fragmented shapes and muted colors. A car’s tail lights glow with an intensity that cuts through the gray, acting as a focal point amidst the diffusion. Kiarostami prompts us to consider the act of seeing itself, the ways in which our perception is always mediated. The formal qualities of the photograph—the dynamic lines, the chromatic scale—invite viewers to contemplate not only what is depicted, but how the very means of depiction shape our understanding. The artwork ultimately dissolves the conventional distinction between foreground and background, representation and abstraction.