Dia Azzawi

(Iraq, born 1939)

Red Composition

Footnotes

"Red Composition"
A seminal 1970 masterpiece by Dia Azzawi and one of the first large scale works in his mature style

Provenance:
Property from a private collection, Beirut

"This is part of our "identity problem": what to do with calligraphy? How do we use it to create something which is related to our history? I was very much influenced by a different part of Iraqi history, mainly by Sumerian art, and this combination with Arabic calligraphy, gave me the ability to create new kinds of abstract imagery"
- Dia Azzawi

Bonhams are proud to present "Red Composition" , a seminal 1970 masterpiece by the renowned Iraqi artist, Dia Azzawi, painted in the immediate aftermath of his establishment of the "New Vision Group". This large and important painting is a landmark work in Azzawi's illustrious career, it is one of the earliest works in the artists mature painterly style and signature palette as well as the first work where the artist introduces a blend of Arabic and Ancient Mesopotamian letterforms.

Painted in 1970, "Red Composition" represents a pivotal point in Azzawi's artistic journey. As he transitioned from the darker palette and more figurative works of the 1960s to a warmer, more vibrant approach, this painting served as a catalyst for his exploration of letterforms and abstract figural references.

In the present work, Dia Al-Azzawi draws from ancient cuneiform, humanity's first script along with Egyptian hieroglyphs. This script features "figurative" pictograms that symbolize objects and "abstract" signs made up of lines in the shape of "corners" or "nails," which transcribe a sound or syllable. Incisions, signs, pictograms, and symbols form the core vocabulary of Azzawi's formal language, which he liberates from their literal meanings to create a visual poetic equivalent. He deftly captures the sensitive resonance of Sumerian epic extracts within himself, expressing it through colour and semi figural outlines.

Executed on a grand scale, "Red Composition" demands the viewer's attention with its bold use of colour and dynamic composition. The piece's fiery red hues are balanced with black lines and forms that weave throughout the canvas, evoking a sense of movement and depth.

It is no surprise that "Red Composition" is recognized by the own artist an important piece in his oeuvre, representing a turning point in his artistic evolution. This painting truly embodies the essence of Azzawi's mature style.

Azzawi started his artistic career in 1964, after graduating from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad and completing a degree in archaeology from Baghdad University in 1962. His studies of ancient civilizations and Iraqi heritage had a profound impact on his art, and a key objective in the early formation of his artistic style was to link the visual culture of the past to the present.

In 1969, Azzawi formed the New Vision Group (al-Ru'yya al-Jadidah), uniting fellow artists ideologically and culturally as opposed to stylistically. The group's manifesto, Towards a New Vision, highlighted an association between art and revolution, and sought to transcend the notion of a 'local style'—coined by the Baghdad Modern Art Group—by broadening the parameters of local culture to include the entire Arab world.

With exhibitions of his work held worldwide, including a landmark retrospective in 2017 at Qatar's MATHAF, his art features in the collections of some of the world's most prestigious museums and institutions. He is also regarded, in the tumultuous post-conflict climate of 2000s Iraq, considered to be the ultimate authority on modernist and contemporary art from the region.