Some works of Manouchehr Yektayi, including the present one, raise a major question, “Where is the borderline between abstraction and representation in art?” Does induction of optical illusion tend to bring an abstract work closer to a representational one? With a remarkable ability to play with thick layers of paint and control strong brushstrokes, Yektayi is presenting fragments of the nature in every corner of the work, as in Japanese Haiku[1], in a milieu of abstraction and fluid illustration of the nature. The work presents an “instant” that assumes a new form every single moment. As philosophers believe, an “instant”, indeed, is an inexpressible quality of beauty that is perceived intuitively – just like what we see, or try to see, in this painting. Snow-clad valleys and mountains or wild nature are seen through these bold, textured colors. It is sometimes just a colorful abstraction that feels like poetry. This colorful expanse clearly reveals the poetic sense of Yektayi’s painting. That is why when we are looking at the painting, words appear and a painted fantasy turns into words. Uneven and rough The sun, rock and rain Struggling through a tight crack Blossoming of arum Looted the aroma Worms, bees and winds[2] Manouchehr Yektayi, New York, May 1959
[1] Short Japanese poems with a usual theme of nature.
[2] Poetry of Manouchehr Yektayi in the book Crooked, Unhappy and Witness, Rozan Publishing, 1996
