Triton Octopus 1953

Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid made Triton Octopus and, wow, is it a journey into pure process! What strikes me first are these mosaic-like forms. It's like she’s building a world, brick by brick, with paint, and these shapes are not just decorative. They feel structural. Look at how the colors shift from cool yellows and whites to warm reds and blacks; it's like the canvas is breathing, expanding, and contracting right before your eyes. And the lines! There's a tension, like a million tiny decisions are being made at once. I love that Zeid lets you see her thinking on the canvas, that her process is visible. Zeid's work often dances between representation and abstraction, and this painting is no different. It reminds me of the way Paul Klee also built his paintings with such detail. In the end, it’s a conversation, and Zeid brings her own voice.