The Winged Horizon

My semi-figurative painting "The Winged Horizon" is an invitation to journey, an ode to freedom, knowledge, and the elevation of the soul. It depicts a stylized bird, whose silhouette evokes the sacred hoopoe from The Conference of the Birds, the mystical masterpiece by Persian poet Farid-ud-Din Attar which is one of my favorite books.

In Sufi tradition, this bird embodies wisdom and spiritual quest, a guide leading toward ultimate truth, beyond the illusions of the material world.

The bird gazes toward the right, toward the unknown, toward an invisible yet undeniable horizon, as if answering a call to discovery, to the exploration of a vast beyond. It symbolizes the aspiration for something greater than oneself, a journey that transcends the tangible and the fleeting, a flight toward what has yet to be revealed.

The deep blue background, applied in a flat, expansive wash, evokes the sky, infinity, and transcendence. This blue envelops and elevates, echoing the mystery and vastness of existence, an open space where the eye and the soul may wander freely, unrestricted by limits.

The bird’s feathers, though textured and sculpted with a palette knife, appear paradoxically light, as if poised to break free, to defy gravity and soar toward the unseen. This interplay between substance and ascension, between matter and spirit, imbues the painting with a palpable tension, a sensation of motion held between grounding and flight.

The dynamic brushstrokes and vivid colors further amplify this sense of movement and release, a force pushing the bird toward its destiny of elevation. The energy of the gesture breathes life into the canvas, infusing it with a vital pulse, a momentum toward the unknown.

More than a mere representation, "The Winged Horizon" is a visual meditation, a gateway to the idea of departure, self-transcendence, and the pursuit of truth. Its very title resonates as a call to elevation, to the absolute freedom of flight, to that fleeting moment where anything becomes possible.

This painting asks us: Where is our own horizon? What flight are we ready to take? It invites introspection, an attunement to the whispers of the inner wind, to that eternal quest that compels each being to go beyond themselves, toward a distant realm they have carried within them all along.