Khurasan Gate variation II

This artwork forms part of Frank Stella’s 'Protractor' series, in which he experimented with large, shaped canvases that gave his paintings sculptural or even architectural qualities. Its mathematically derived composition and bold colours have much in common with the ’hard-edge’ and ’colour field’ approaches to abstraction that interested many artists around the world in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The title of this painting, however, transports us to another time and place. Khurasan (or Khorasan) is a historical region lying to the west of the river Amu Darya, encompassing parts of present-day Iran and Turkmenistan. Stella travelled to Iran in 1963 and the combination of curves and right angles that we find in 'Khurasan Gate variation II' were inspired by his encounter with Islamic art and architecture.