Shadbolt’s two journeys to the Mediterranean enriched his growing engagement with Abstract Expressionism, inspiring him to explore bold, gestural, and calligraphic compositions. Islamic Memory reflects a growing fascination with bold, enigmatic script layered across expansive, washed surfaces during the 1960s. In his influential book In Search of Form, Shadbolt explains his creative approach: "My first lead off... was to think in the vague direction of some historical script... and I would improvise in its spirit. I started thinking of the ways in which script occurred, such as in a written poem, an old manuscript, a song... I had entered a whole new territory on invention and the idea expanded into painting... I did requiems and elegies on a large scale in pure colour and all-over script patters of variable colour relays one over another." In Islamic Memory, these motifs take on a lively, almost dance-like quality, radiating energy and intrigue.

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