Printed in 1970, A.D. Pirous's "Surat Ikhlas" marks a turning point in his artistic practice where he began to incorporate calligraphic writing into his abstract composition. The historical print was made during A.D. Pirous's study in Rochester, New York, where he learned etching and after his visit to the Islamic art gallery Metropolitan Museum of Art where he encountered calligraphic works that reminded him of his own experience with calligraphy and other Islamic objects in his hometown in Aceh. 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.
