The artist Reza Lavassani has spent a number of years studying philosophy and mysticism in order to give him a new understanding of time, the human being and his inner needs. This new way of thinking has been incorporated into his paintings and drawings, in order that others can understand it through a purely visual medium. Contrast and multiplicity are the two most prominent aspects of his paintings as well as strong references to Iranian culture. 

The artist says of his work, ‘The true secret of all human sciences is to give man peace and tranquility, and help him to establish an authentic relationship with himself and nature. Man today lives in the presence of life’s reality and his deeds take him away from existing in the presence of truth.’

In this painting, a woman playing the flute sits in a boat as it is ravaged and torn in two by waves of water. The water, although tumultuous, has a strangely ordered serenity about it as the waves coil gracefully around the boat and destroy it.

The woman in the piece is intended to be an expression of the human form in search of meaning whilst also representing femininity in the shape of sublimated desire and Divine Beauty. In this piece, the artist has chosen to use the colour purple, which is often seen to be symbolic of spirituality and wisdom.