Footnotes

Provenance:
Property from the private collection, London
Property from the collection Fahr-El Nissa Zeid's personal assistant, Raymond Williams, England
Gifted directly from the artist to the above owner, circa 1970s

Note:
The present work is accompanied by a 1929 copy of M. De Stendhal's "Le Rouge Et Le Noir" signed by Zeid
Bonhams would like to thank Adila Laidi-Hanieh for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot

A rare and important kaleidoscopic period painting by Fahr-El Nissa Zeid named after Stendhal's "Le Rouge et le Noir"

"This work is a rare specimen of Fahrelnissa Zeid's kaleidoscopic high period: the work on offer belongs to her second abstract phase, of mainly monumental chromoluminarist compositions, into which she transitioned in the early 1950s after she gained in assurance with abstraction, creating her well-known kinetic vortexes."
- Adila Laidi-Hanieh

"Le Rouge et le Noir" by Fahrelnissa Zeid is an exhilarating symphony of geometric abstraction, an artwork where the vibrancy of reds clash and harmonize with the gravity of blacks, interspersed with swathes of white. The title, while echoing Stendhal's famous novel, also recalls the old Parisian game of chance, Rouge et Noir, suggesting layers of interpretation that go beyond the mere palette.

Zeid's canvas is not a passive surface; it is a battleground of forms and colours that constantly intersect; the composition is akin to a kaleidoscope caught mid-turn, where shapes tessellate and dance. Each colour is judiciously placed, neither dominating nor receding too much, maintaining a precarious balance. This sense of balance and movement within the painting contracts with the artists earlier more spontaneous abstraction and demonstrates the maturity and precision that emanated in her prime abstract phase.

Stendhal's novel "Le Rouge et le Noir" chronicles the ambitious journey of Julien Sorel, a young man from the French provinces who rises through the social ranks in a society marked by post-revolutionary turmoil. The title symbolizes the tension between two societal paths available to during the time—red representing the military and black representing the clergy. The central themes of the novel revolve around the individual's struggle against societal norms, the pursuit of authenticity, and the high cost of upward mobility.

Fahrelnissa Zeid's "Le Rouge et le Noir" could be seen as an intricate visual play on these themes. Given Zeid's exposure to the novel, evidenced by her possession of a signed copy included in this lot, it is possible that the story's exploration of personal ambition and societal constraints resonated with her. On the other hand, the painting's title might simply draw from pure colour inspiration, tapping into the powerful connotations of red and black in the collective consciousness.

Alternatively, the reference to the game of chance in the title of Stendhal's book could have provided a further layer of meaning, alluding to the unpredictability and risk inherent in every human endeavour, an element that may have influenced Zeid's dynamic and tumultuous composition.

Born into an Ottoman aristocratic family and later becoming a princess by marriage, Fahrelnissa Zeid's life was as colourful and complex as her art. She navigated multiple cultural identities, blending Western and Eastern artistic traditions into a distinctive style.