#256 THE SUFI24" x 24" oil on canvas. $1,970 + GST All art is about self. When I saw this image of my friend, I identified with him. He is a sufi, an ancient spiritual philosophy that takes the moral precepts of the world's religious traditions and re-interprets them for our modern times. The sufi symbol is a heart with wings. I do not participate in sufism, but I love the joy in this full-hearted image. During the Renaissance, it was common to place spiritual subject matter in classical, architectural settings. In 1580–84, Architect Andrea Palladio designed the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy with a permanent stage built in perspective, inspired by ancient Roman theatres. He was famous in the Italian Renaissance for the re-interpretation of classical Roman architecture. The background arch in this painting is from the Teatro Olimpico.