Image size: 81.5 x 106.5 cm
Painted by A.D. Pirous in 1974, the painting shows the artist's sensitivity and use of strong and bold colors, such as deep red and purple. A.D. Pirous (b. 1931, Meulaboh, Indonesia) is an Indonesian painter and printmaker whose works contribute significantly in the development of modernist and calligraphic abstraction in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. He is known for his calligraphy that largely draws from Qur'anic verses, Islamic manuscripts, and tombstones. His artistic practice and ideas of modern and Islamic art contribute significantly to the shaping of its canon and art historical narrative. The painting displays a delicate contrast of the smooth surface with a textured calligraphic writing that peeks in from the top margin. The illegible calligraphy in this painting is representative of Pirous's method of working with calligraphy before his shift to "Qur'anic aesthetics" in 1975 where he began to properly write legible verses taken from the Qur'an.
