{...} If one looks at the way in which Ahmadi’s work has developed, one sees him
gradually shedding western in_uences, and becoming more speci_cally Iranian
as he does so. His most recent series – ‘Archaic Techniques of Lovemaking’, ‘Miraj’
and ‘Arch of Salvation’ – refer to Iranian book art, but could never, even at their
most _gurative, be thought of as direct copies. I say ‘even at their most _gurative’
because one of the fascinating things about these paintings is the way they slide
in and out of _gurative representation. The _gures, where present, are wraiths:
they convince the spectator that they are not so much the artist’s invention as
_gments of his or her own imagination, prompted by a few brush marks on
canvas.
In fact, one of the things that distinguishes Ahmadi’s work is the con_dent
elegance of the facture. He has been able to translate the swift, con_dent
elegance of Iranian penmanship into terms that suit working in acrylic on canvas.
Much contemporary art appropriates from previous styles, often it must be said
in a leaden and clumsy way. This could never be said of Ahmadi’s work, which
is joyously swift and con_dent. He takes from the past, but never imitates it.
Edward Lucie-Smith
