Untitled 1989

Mostafa Dashti created this untitled watercolor painting. The landscape pulses with warm yellows and oranges, set against cooler grays. The composition divides horizontally into three distinct bands. The upper section is dominated by fluid forms suggesting mountains, which lead the eye downward. These forms are echoed in the middle ground—an ambiguous space. We can see a collection of smaller shapes, which could either be rocks on a shore or reflections of light on water. The cool gray of the lower band, perhaps representing a road, anchors the composition. Dashti uses color to destabilize conventional landscape. The golden hues transform the scene, challenging our perception of space. The overall effect blurs the line between representation and abstraction.