NOW AND TEN

PROPERTY FROM
THE ESTEEMED COLLECTION OF AKBAR AND SOUSAN SEIF NASSERI
*25
KOOROSH SHISHEGARAN
(IRANIAN, B. 1945)
Untitled
signed and dated in Farsi, signed ‘SHISHE’ (lower left)
oil on canvas
51 x 53in. (128.5 x 134cm.)
Painted in 1986
US$70,000-90,000
AED260,000-330,000
PROVENANCE:
Classic Gallery, Tehran.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1989.
EXHIBITED:
Tehran, Classic Gallery, Koorosh Shishegaran, 1989.
London, Barbican Centre, Iranian Contemporary Art: The Curve, 2001
(illustrated in colour, p. 48).
Koorosh Shishegaran’s ability to humanise abstraction and create depth in
his canvases through colour and brushstrokes makes him one of the most
expressive and inspiring artists of Contemporary Iranian art. His paintings are
composed of colourful vortices and whirling spirals painted on a minimalistic
background. Each twist and spiral is meticulously mapped on Shishegaran’s
canvas, thus creating a fow of movement along with dimensionality.
The present work by Shishegaran from the esteemed Akbar and Sousan
Seif Nasseri collection features complex convolutions in a palette of dark
hues. The black and grey tones create a strong play of light and shade while
the bold red serves as a sophisticated contrast, rendering the swirls more
visible and prominent. Shishegaran’s work demonstrates a high level of
graphical and technical fnesse, which is evocative of the artistry required in
calligraphy. The artist’s signature style is rooted in his long search within the
Iranian visual lexicon.
Lines and particularly the manipulation of their forms is an important
feature in his works. They become linear or stripe paintings, creating fuid
movements of bold lines on a pure background and often depicting abstract
human forms. The curvilinear form and diagonal trajectory of the spirals in
this work creates motion on the canvas. This movement, coupled with the
tapered lines, creates depth, texture and an other-wordily appearance.
By presenting lines and form in an abstract way the artist distances himself
from the subject of the work and thus avoids imposing any personal
impressions on the viewer. Shishegaran has expressed that his work serves
as an expression of a new artistic language: ‘I have been trying to fnd a
style or language expressive of the modern era. One that can be seen as pure
painting yet rooted in my own country’s art and culture.’ (The artist quoted on
the occasion of his exhibition at Opera Gallery, London 2012).
Shishegaran’s fascination with graphic art can be seen in the plain colours
and sharp twists found throughout his work. He creates visual energy and
invokes the inquisitive mind of the viewer. The result is visual stimulation
and dynamism which is purely an optical illusion; in other words, the very
essence of seeing without the unnecessary rhetoric. The artist resorts to
abstraction in order to avoid making works that are reminiscent of fgurative
forms. Shishegaran is a proponent of abstract art as it equips the artist with
a sense of liberty to look beyond the appearance and present at the subject
in a symbolic yet abstracted way.
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