Please find details of Abstract Cityscape by Manoucher Niazi
Manoucher Niazi’s Abstract Cityscape (oil on canvas, 40 × 30 cm) presents a contemplative interpretation of urban space shaped by memory, erosion, and architectural remnants. Rather than depicting a recognizable city, the work constructs an imagined environment in which architectural forms appear suspended between presence and disappearance.
Memory
The composition centers on a vertical arrangement of column-like structures and fragmented walls. These elements suggest ruins or incomplete constructions, evoking architectural memory rather than functional space, the work reminds pieces by Yves Tanguy. The forms do not follow strict perspectival logic; instead, they stack and overlap, creating a compressed spatial field that resists clear orientation.
Niazi employs a restrained, earthy palette dominated by muted browns, greys, ochres, and subdued blues. These tones reinforce the material weight of the painted surfaces and contribute to the atmosphere of stillness and temporal distance. The surface texture, built through layered oil paint, emphasizes solidity while simultaneously revealing signs of wear and decay.
Architectural references in Abstract Cityscape remain deliberately ambiguous. Columns, beams, and openings recall classical structures, industrial remnants, or archaeological sites without anchoring the scene to a specific geography. This ambiguity allows the city to function as a conceptual space — a site of accumulated histories rather than a living metropolis.
Abandonment
The absence of human figures heightens the sense of abandonment and introspection. Architecture stands in for human presence, acting as a silent witness to time and transformation. The city appears not as a place of movement or activity, but as a repository of memory, shaped by erosion and silence.
Niazi’s handling of oil paint reinforces this thematic focus. Thick and thin passages coexist, creating a tactile surface that mirrors the instability of the depicted structures. Edges blur and dissolve, further distancing the image from architectural precision and emphasizing emotional resonance over documentation.
Abstract Cityscape can be read as a meditation on the persistence of built form and the fragility of human environments. Through abstraction and material sensitivity, Niazi transforms the city into a psychological and temporal landscape — one that exists not in real space, but in recollection and imagination.
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Kings Gallery is a leading fine art gallery established in Jerusalem in 1995. We strive to collect and sell the highest quality historic and contemporary Israeli and International art. The gallery specializes primarily in artists from the early period of the 1920’s. Besides, Kings Gallery features leading up-and-coming young artists who will definitely be prominent names in the next few years.
