ArtDayMe : This article analyzes Salman Moghadasi's spectacular 2019 piece “Shahrashub” (The City's Darling), which measures 325 × 120 centimeters and incorporates plant ingredients and compositions, and acrylics on hemp fabric or burlap.

Nothing we see or feel is ever-fading. On the surface, we might ignore it and forget about it, but it stays in our subconscious and thoughts. As time passes, it finds its way out without us intending it and without our intention - in our conduct, in our decisions, in what we make.

Salman Moghadasi's “Shahrashub” does not attempt to directly reflect Far Eastern art. However, he claims that a two-week journey to China in 2013, his connections with art masters, and his experience with that old culture may have served as the catalyst for this piece.

Even Iranian miniature, a noble and proud art form, has been impacted by this influence to such an extent that it has unavoidably incorporated elements of Chinese painting. Maybe it is similar to the Japanese-influenced art found in German artist Fabian Werner's works, or it might be the same influence that spontaneously emerges from the unconscious at another time and shows itself in an original piece of art.

However, this impact is significant when artists go through it and, inspired by it, develop a new design - not by breaking away from themselves, but by relying on the roots that are woven into the depths of their environment's culture and civilization.

According to Salman Moghadasi, “Shahrashub” is a passionate movement that emerges from the dust of past oblivion, reveals itself seductively and gracefully, glides in space, and vanishes into the deceptive fog of the future.

Carl Gustav Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, writes in “Man and His Symbols”:

“The unconscious is the source of creativity, and artists interact with symbols that have developed in the recesses of their minds, whether consciously or unconsciously. These symbols may have originated from personal experiences or from humanity's collective consciousness.”

“Shahrashub” is an account of these unseen things. What we experienced in the silence of unconsciousness is still alive in us and will one day, voluntarily or unwillingly, spring from our hands.

- Protesting emotion, conceptual abstraction

Salman's composition is notable mostly for its focused energy and spontaneous movement of dancing crowds or waves. Some art theorists' initial love for the artist stems from the selection of a certain organic labor technique that enables such a painterly action.

The utilization of plant ingredients and acrylics on hemp fabric (burlap) has produced a unique impression in the artwork. This approach creates a genuine and authentic state by causing colors and textures to blend in an unanticipated way. The method of execution of the piece implies the use of methods such as staining, splashing, and possibly etching or abrasion to produce depth and a sense of toughness.

The canvas's hemp textures and the way the colors are applied have produced an uneven and rough surface that perfectly complements the idea of chaos. This texture elevates the painting above two-dimensionality and adds depth.

Salman Moghadasi deserves praise for purposefully selecting this texture to heighten the unconsciousness of his art, which is a perfect illustration of how technique affects meaning.

Warm hues like brown, earthy yellow and black make up the painting's color scheme, with a faint purple undertone that is only seen up close.

While the black hue produces a powerful and striking mood, which gives the forms more clarity, the warm colors evoke a sense of earth and nature. In addition to evoking feelings of coziness and closeness, this color scheme also evokes the texture of the city and, in a more general sense, may serve as a warning against rust and general wear and tear.

The forms within the piece are a blend of loose lines and colored dots, made with fluid and erratic movements. These shapes may evoke calligraphy or calligraphic paintings, which convey a type of written language despite being abstract. The composition of the painting directs the viewer's gaze from one side to the other.

The audience is drawn in by “Shahrashub's” abstract condition, which appears to be both emotive and protesting at first glance when viewed in huge dimensions. Depending on their perspective, viewers may perceive this lovely uneven wave from left to right, beginning at the bottom of the piece and rising upwards and toward the sky. Alternatively, watch a fluid flow that falls from right to left, from sky to bottom.

With entwined patterns and flowing lines that, although beautiful, warn the observer of a stormy movement, “Shahrashub” conveys a sensation of attraction, a person's inner turmoil in the presence of the manifestation of the beloved, and a longing to have him or her by them. The work's horizontal breadth also contributes to the evocation of a city, although an unsettling one.

With this effort, one sheds light on themselves, while the other perceives it as a reflection of environmental transformation. This is the work's other magic that elevates its interpretation from abstract art to a level that is somewhat reminiscent of contemporary conceptual art.

_ Moghadasi's showroom on Al Khayat Avenue in Dubai

Following successful shows throughout Iran, the Middle East, China, and Russia, Moghadasi unveiled a unique and thought-provoking collection in 2023 on Dubai's famed art strip, Al Khayat Avenue.

This phase is the start of new journeys and, in a sense, his second significant and protracted step toward achieving stunning and creative visions.

His life and endeavors are not solely focused on delivering a magnificent work of art. However, it also reflects his great commitment to developing a field of ideas for human beings to achieve perfection. And because of this, he is now one of the most prominent and up-and-coming figures in the field of modern art.