Untitled
Artist: Monir Farmanfarmaian (Iranian, 1924-2019)
Date: 2014
Dimensions:
39 1/2 × 27 1/2 in. (100.3 × 69.9 cm)
Medium: Felt-tipped marker on paper
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Orion Fund
Object number: 2018.27
Label Text:Combining geometric pattern with floral motifs, Monir Farmanfarmaian’s work is inspired by Islamic geometry, modern abstraction, and the natural world. Here, a grid of hexagons is overlaid with a symmetrical design of curving plant forms. This integration of floral elements over an organized grid exposes the close relationship between the natural world and geometric structure and expresses Monir’s love of both the formal Persian garden and the geometric themes found in Islamic architecture and decorative arts.
Drawings have been consistently part of Monir’s artistic practice since the 1940s, when she studied fashion illustration in New York City. This drawing shows the strong relationship between her 2D and 3D works and her practice of working out ideas on paper before translating them to her sculptures (see her Aram nearby). Her art reflects a life lived between two cultures. She combines the rich patterns and craftsmanship found in her native Iran with the contemporary art of the New York avant-garde, of which she was a part in the 1950s.
Drawings have been consistently part of Monir’s artistic practice since the 1940s, when she studied fashion illustration in New York City. This drawing shows the strong relationship between her 2D and 3D works and her practice of working out ideas on paper before translating them to her sculptures (see her Aram nearby). Her art reflects a life lived between two cultures. She combines the rich patterns and craftsmanship found in her native Iran with the contemporary art of the New York avant-garde, of which she was a part in the 1950s.
DescriptionUntitled 2014 is a naturalistic drawing on paper in burnt orange, yellow, green, and grey over a hexagonal (six-sided polygon) grid in black.The non-realistic plant has a central stem or trunk in green and black with undulating branches on which flowers in orange and yellow sit. Each hexagon is divided into 6 triangles. The undulating branches of the plant outline a half circle on the top and of each subsequent hexagon. Select triangles are filled in with grey curved lines in a dotted pattern.
Not on view