Nasrollah Afjehei (Iranian, b. 1933)

This stunning composition of Nasrollah Afjehei is a captivating and elegant experimentation with the lines and forms of the letter depicting the Van Yakad, a prayer verse in the Qur'an recited as protection against the evil eye. The prayer today is notably written on paper and engraved in precious stones, gold and silver. With Afjehei's delicate and tightly written calligraphy strands depicted in vertical form, they flow down the monumental expanse of the picture's surface as if they are balancing between the earth, sea and sky. Afjehei confronts the viewer with areas of shifting calligraphic components which gently bend, expand and contract. The result is a sense of overwhelming graceful movement and dynamism that cascades and flows much like a wave.

By combining large forms with tighter, more condensed areas of calligraphic elements, Afjehei also manages to convey a sense of perspective within Van Yakad. The viewer is instantaneously transported into a world where the water is all encompassing, the subtle crashes of the waves speaking as if phrases of poetry.