Zenderoudi, Charles Hossein

A Shower of Gold [formerly "The Golden Shower"], 1966

Image for A Shower of Gold, 1966

This work’s title may allude to the ancient Greek myth of Zeus and Danaë, in which the god miraculously impregnates the beautiful mortal via a golden shower in order to produce a male heir, Perseus. The story bears special significance in Iran, since Perseus is the namesake of Persia, the name given to the region by the Greeks. But the artist’s non-figurative treatment distances this possible iteration from previous depictions of the theme. Zenderoudi has said, “I am a scholar in calligraphy but I am not a calligrapher. I paint; I don’t do letters.”1 His use of Persian letterforms as a painterly artistic language suggests a deep engagement with the forms themselves. Repetition lessens their legibility as singular characters, and the line’s conceptual path remains. 1. Myrna Ayad and James Perry, “The Letter as a Sonata,” Canvas 5, no. 5 (2009).

Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 39 1/4 x 78 in.
Credit Line Grey Art Gallery, New York University Art Collection
Donor Gift of Abby Weed Grey
Object ID G1975.121

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Collection Years: 1966