Over the last two decades, SedaghatJabbari has created graphic compositions using calligraphy that have gradually moved toward the abstract as can be seen in the work on display.
The lettering in the works of this artist contains visual ingredients whose goal is to offer an artistic composition and create an interaction between positive and negative spaces. The result of his work is more of an abstract painting formed around lettering, in a way that everything derives its meaning from the script, the text and the words.
In this work, Jabbari uses warm colors; he benefits from a spectrum of browns and golds and creatinga brightness in the background which induces archaic linear forms. The juxtaposition and the overlapping of the letters, through the use of the specialized colors and a twisting brush technique, boost the mysticism of the lettering. At the same time, the influence of the type of gold color used,produces a sublime quality which we associate with the innuendo of a sacred text.Although there seems to be many perceptible similarities to Islamic manuscripts in the work, the type of balance between black and white, along with the distribution of strength and weakness, minimizes these similarities. The artist deliberately strays from the basic melody of the ‘manuscripts.’ Letters cross over each other yet remain visible. Some letters unexpectedly get separated in this crowded space yet continue to exist in solitude. In fact, their coexistence with the crowd is expressed by a kind of apathy, as if this were a drawing of the contemporary world illustrating the relations of those in power.
Allusions to the vocalization of Arabic script are predominant in Jabbari’s ‘calligraphy paintings.’ They play a decorative role and balance the colors by using extreme contrast. In this way they draw out our opinions. Jabbari’s use of the symbolism of colors, however slight, leans toward a tradition that is rooted in both the calligraphy of spiritual manuscripts and the art of penmanship. In Arabic and Persian calligraphy red ink is predominantly used for chapter headings, graphs, geometric shapes and special terminology. Occasionally it is used just for decoration as in the vowel markings found in the Quran. In the older, larger manuscripts, red was also used decoratively.
The depth of illustration and play of shadows in this piece transform it into a manuscript, almost as if it were the immortal passage about creation. Additionally, the curves of the lines and the expressive special pen work invigorate the painting. In this easily recognizable work, the artist incorporates a lyrical technique in his action brushwork to express his world, affected by the grueling practice of filling notebooks to become a master of Persian calligraphy.
SedaghatJabbari is a well-known artist who won first place at the 4th International Painting and Calligraphy Biennial of the Islamic World in Turkey in 1998 andwho has attained success and made a name for himself in the world market. A painting by this artist sold at auction for $433,000 at Christie’s Dubai in 2007.
