Ahmed Moustafa (Egyptian, B. 1943)
Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importat… 显示更多 THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Ahmed Moustafa (Egyptian, B. 1943)

The Ship

细节
Ahmed Moustafa (Egyptian, B. 1943)
The Ship
signed in Arabic and dated '2000 1420' (along the right edge)
oil and watercolour on thick paper
46½ x 51 1/8in. (118 x 130cm.)
Executed in 2000
展览
Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace, Gallery One, Opening the Doors: Collecting Middle Eastern Art, November 2010 - January 2011, p. 106 (illustrated p. 107).
注意事项
Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importation value (low estimate) levied at the time of collection shipment within UAE. For UAE buyers, please note that duty is paid at origin (Dubai) and not in the importing country. As such, duty paid in Dubai is treated as final duty payment. It is the buyer's responsibility to ascertain and pay all taxes due.

拍品专文

Ahmed Moustafa uses Arabic calligraphy to represent an object, in this case, a ship. With his characteristic vibrant colours, his elaborate and expressive script, and his ingenious calligraphic arrangements, Moustafa skillfully depicts the movement of the waves and the vessel, producing a lively image.

The script densely spreading across the sheet of paper is a passage from a text written by one of the most famous Arab poets of the Umayyad period, Al-Akhtal (c. 640-710): 'The water runs rapidly below the ships' bellies, screeching noisily against the tar and solid planks. They swim in it with their bows cutting through the gale. Though if an elephant was driven into it, he'd stop in fear. The masters may have to take them through straits where the waves hit rapidly against the sides, rushing past them as a herd of camels may be rushed by an astute herder.'

Although Moustafa's Ship appears very lyrical with its soft pastel hues in the sky, the artist nonetheless dramatises the scene by multiplying the script throughout, creating an effect of agitation, whilst his imposing vessel with its thick black letters stands out against the background, making its way through the waves.