Artist represents his faith in record oil painting that's bigger than a tennis court
An artist paid tribute to the founder of his religion by creating a gigantic record-breaking painting.
Zakir Hussain Khan (India) recreated the Green Dome, the resting place of Islam Prophet Muhammad, as the world’s largest professional oil painting by a single artist.
The special painting measures a massive 333 m² (3,584 ft² 54 in²), which is bigger than a tennis court and 20 times the size of the average parking space.
Zakir unveiled his impressive artwork last November in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
The piece was considerably bigger than the previous record holder, a painting by Gérard Di-Maccio (France) and Di-Maccio Art Museum, The Forest of Taiyo (Japan), which measured 243.387 m² (2619 ft² 117 in²).
Zakir said: “I wanted to attempt this record out of love for our Prophet on the occasion of his 1,500th birth anniversary, and with the intention of gifting this painting to Masjid al-Nabawi [the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia].”
The 37-year-old artist added: “The painting depicts the Green Dome, the resting place of our beloved Prophet Muhammad at Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah al-Munawwarah. I chose this image because of my deep love and respect for our Prophet.”
Zakir used around 300 litres of paint to create the artwork and it took him 25 days to complete it.
Although he’s painted countless artworks before, this was by far the biggest project he had ever taken on, but he says it was worth all the hard work.
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“People become emotionally connected when they see this religious artwork,” the artist said, “and many express deep feelings of devotion and respect.”
Zakir said he was “completely stunned” when he found out he had officially broken the record, but that he was also “extremely excited”.
He added: “I would like to mention that this achievement is not just a personal milestone, but an expression of faith, love, and devotion. I hope this artwork inspires others and serves as a humble contribution of art in honour of our beloved Prophet.”