  About the Artwork
  
  
  Drawing on traditions of Persian and Indian manuscript painting, characterized by multifigure scenes rendered in great detail, Shiva Ahmadi combines intricate patterns with loose washes of watercolor to create a style of her own. With a surface beauty that attracts the eye, her works force viewers to confront disturbing truths that emerge upon closer looking. Here, an enthroned ruler with a blood-streaked face suggests political corruption. Mischievous monkeys and other creatures add to the chaos.
 
At lower left, a figure with a flaming halo indicating spiritual power sits in a colorful grotto. This is Al-Khidr (“The Green One”), a prophet from Islamic traditions who offers a path toward higher consciousness. The pale green of the painting’s background resonates with him, suggesting an ever-present possibility for wisdom and renewal.
  
  
  Title
  Al-Khidr
  
  
  Artwork Date
  2009
  
  Artist
  Shiva Ahmadi
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  born 1975
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  American
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on Aquaboard
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 40 × 60 × 3 inches (101.6 × 152.4 × 7.6 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  Contemporary Art after 1950
  
  
  Credit
  Museum Purchase, Asian and Islamic Art Forum and gift of Clan Crawford, Jr. by exchange
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2010.31
  
  
  Copyright
  Copyright Not Evaluated
