War & Peace 2012

Curator: I find it interesting when art captures a mood, a quiet hum beneath the surface of things, don't you? Editor: I agree. "War & Peace," painted in 2012 by Reza Rahimi Lasko, it seems to hum with quiet contemplation. A woman in a headscarf sits in what looks like an old courtyard. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: It whispers of contrasts, doesn’t it? Look at how the soft, almost classical portrait clashes with the rawness of the aged walls around her. Makes you wonder about the layers of history this space has witnessed, doesn’t it? And she, so focused on adjusting her scarf… Is it defiance, preparation, acceptance? What's your sense? Editor: I hadn’t considered it that way. I was simply focused on the fact that she’s inside this gorgeous landscape of warm tones and earthy colours, yet there’s a modern clock in the background and that's confusing to me.. Curator: Ah, yes, a gentle reminder that time, like art, is a construct! Perhaps it’s the artist reminding us that ‘war’ and ‘peace’ aren’t just grand, historical states of being, but are, rather, found in quiet moments of self-reflection, choices we make every single day. Even in what we choose to wear. It also draws you, because the background appears timeless but for this contemporary object Editor: I can see that. The piece makes a very relevant comment by merging temporality and focusing it all into one being, this woman.. I hadn’t even considered that before! It’s also interesting to notice all the subtle details present in this piece such as her clothing's pattern or even the slight lighting of the artwork. Curator: Precisely! And those "War & Peace" aren’t opposing forces but dance partners. It takes a moment of reflection, of pause. The ability to appreciate that dance in order to achieve inner peace. It gives pause for thought and for appreciation for life's nuances Editor: I now recognize more clearly the piece's beauty in revealing that paradox within us.