Meem Two
- Artist: Anwar Jalal Shemza
- Date: 1967
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 915 x 915 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Meem Two” by Anwar Jalal Shemza, painted in 1967. On a 915‑mm square canvas, the artist uses bold navy blue lines to trace the Arabic letter meem—our “M”—four times, twice radiating downwards and twice upwards from the center. The strokes intersect in a neat, symmetrical cluster, while bright orange and pale green fill the cores and the negative spaces between them. A subtle dark grey rim outlines the composition, giving it a subtle phallic shape against a lighter grey backdrop.
Shemza’s work is built on the geometry of Indian textiles and Mughal architecture, drawing on circles and squares that echo Arabic and Persian calligraphy. He explained that his paintings simplify the three‑dimensional reality of decorative calligraphy into flat, formal shapes. “Meem Two” is part of a series that explores the letter’s visual potential, turning a script into pure geometric abstraction. It invites you to see calligraphy as shape, rhythm, and structure rather than mere text.
See it in person
Meem Two is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
