Love Letter I
Shemza’s long exploration of abstraction through shape, pattern, and language arose from his engagement with both Islamic art and Western modernism. Once noting that an infinite number of images can be made with just a circle and a square, Shemza created flexible geometric forms that often morph into textual motifs derived from the Roman and Arabic alphabets. In Love Letter I the letters "B" and "D" stack and repeat, and in their curved interlacing produce a latticed calligraphic composition. This combination of cultural elements creates a tension that may also parallel Shemza’s own experiences as an artist from Pakistan living in Britain.
Artwork Details
- Title: Love Letter I
- Artist: Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistani, Simla, India 1928–1985 Stafford)
- Date: 1969
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 × 23 1/8 in. (91.4 × 58.7 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, The George Economou Collection Gift, 2013
- Object Number: 2013.263
- Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Anwar Jalal Shemza
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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