Description

Birth of Turquoise is an evocative abstract painting by Iranian artist Abbas Ghadyani, created with oil on canvas in a 60×90 cm format. This work blends turquoise, green, blue, golden, and crimson tones to narrate the story of turquoise stone emerging from the depths of the earth. It symbolizes the journey from suffering and confinement to freedom and light.

At first glance, the upper part of the painting radiates with fresh turquoise and green, representing life, hope, and liberation. In contrast, the crimson and darker hues at the base evoke pain, struggle, and the pressure of the earth. Through this interplay, the painting becomes a metaphor for rebirth, resilience, and the liberation of spirit from material constraints.

Technique and Methods

Ghadyani employs layered oil painting techniques to convey transition and vitality:

1. Gradual layering of colors – From deep reds and earthy tones at the bottom to luminous turquoise and greens at the top, the canvas maps a journey from darkness to light.
2. Diagonal, fluid strokes – Brushwork suggests upward energy, as though turquoise is breaking free from its imprisonment beneath the earth.
3. Deliberate contrasts – Crimson symbolizes blood, pain, and struggle, while turquoise embodies peace, sky, and freedom. The juxtaposition strengthens the painting’s symbolic impact.
4. Textural diversity – Dense, rough surfaces suggest the weight and hardness of stone, while flowing turquoise textures appear lighter, echoing the sense of release.

Artistic Details and Composition

The composition of Birth of Turquoise is structured as a narrative, moving from bottom to top—darkness to brightness, suffering to hope.

Focal Point: Turquoise and green streaks emerging from crimson and earthy tones form the centerpiece of the work.
Movement: Diagonal flows create dynamic energy, mirroring growth and rebirth.
Narrative space: The lower part of the canvas is heavy and constrained, while the upper areas radiate openness and light, embodying transformation.

This compositional rhythm allows the viewer to experience the painting as a visual journey rather than a static image.

Message and Meaning

At its heart, Birth of Turquoise conveys a powerful message of pain, freedom, and rebirth.

Suffering as prelude to birth: Crimson layers represent the necessary struggle that precedes transformation, much like the geological pressures that form turquoise over centuries.
Freedom and release: Turquoise—deeply symbolic in Persian culture as a color of the sky, spirituality, and serenity—appears as the embodiment of liberation and new life.
Human connection: The painting is not only about gemstones or geology, but about human existence itself; it reflects how personal growth and renewal often arise from hardship.
Spiritual significance: On a deeper level, the work suggests the release of the soul from material boundaries, ascending toward light and transcendence.

Conclusion

Birth of Turquoise is one of Abbas Ghadyani’s most poetic abstract works, capturing the themes of resilience, renewal, and liberation through color, movement, and texture.

By guiding the viewer from deep crimson tones at the bottom to luminous turquoise at the top, the painting mirrors a universal journey from suffering to hope, from confinement to freedom.

Ultimately, this artwork transcends mere visual beauty; it becomes a symbolic meditation on the cycles of life and the transformative power of struggle. Like turquoise itself—formed over millennia under pressure—Birth of Turquoise reminds us that enduring beauty and freedom are born from trial and persistence.