Lot 257: - Ali Akbar Sadeghi , Iranian B. 1937 Untitled oil on canvas

signed and dated 1.5.2002 ; signed and dated 2002 on the reverse oil on canvas

measurements note 68 by 52cm.; 26 3/4 by 20 1/2 in.

In his evocative paintings, Ali Akbar Sadeghi draws on the rich traditions of Persian art but adds to them a surreal edge that involves dizzying spatial manipulations and startling combinations of real and fantastical objects, producing breath-taking kaleidoscopes of colour and form. A master story-teller, the varied Persian sources of Sadeghi's tales range from historical Persian iconography including swords, horses, gardens and warriors, intricate decorative motifs and patterns taken from classic rugs, to the compositions of archetypal Iranian miniatures and portraits, particularly those of the Qajar dynasty. But Sadeghi's inspiration from the cultural heritage of Iran is not just aesthetic; the presence of Persian sagas and legends, epic poems and philosophies, and even the teachings of Gnosticism loom large in his work. While Sadeghi has undoubtedly been motivated by the varied artistic forms and schools of thought of his country, his productions have undeniable links to the automatic art of Max Ernst and De Chirico, among others. Considered by some to be Iran's Dali and by himself to be simply a narrator, Sadeghi's paintings give a 20υth/21υst Century edge to the typical Iranian story or image. In his works, Ali Akbar Sadeghi weaves skewed planar arrangements in which foregrounds and backgrounds merge and separate, in which multiple conflicting scenes unfold side-by-side in one picture frame, and in which three-dimensionality and two-dimensionality clash and compete. Movement sweeps over the artist's canvases, modern objects and symbols suddenly appear and paradox prevails. Sadeghi's symbolically twisted take on traditional Iranian art is thus clearly a figment of his own imagination rather than a reiteration of conventions. His images are a translation of what he hears and sees and even feels into his own terms; these images deal with the invasiveness of modernity and its presence in daily-life in Iran, with modernism's influence on the meaning and relevance of the cultural legacy of Persia today, and with the inability of this legacy to meet with and be changed, rather than be completely eliminated, by the ways of the West. In Untitled (2002), Ali Akbar Sadeghi has turned a generic miniature, a symbol of the heritage of Iran, upside down. Besides the visual effect that this produces - a confusing space where the viewer has no bearings, the upside down miniature could be read as the inability of Iran's cultural legacy to coexist with modernity. As an extension of this reading, the nails that appear in the painting could be referring to how Iranians are weighed down by or nailed to their history. Ironically, the nails than pin them to their past are absurd. This is because, firstly, these nails do not meet at any point with the miniature, in other words, with Iran's history, and because, secondly, they superficially rest on the surface rather than dig into it. Both of these elements may be alluding then to the irrelevance of Persia's legacy today. Alternatively, the nails in Sadeghi's painting can be seen as a symbol for modernism. In this case, modernity dominates over history which floats in its shadows in the background. Modernity is what is right-side up and what is understandable. But even so, once again, the lack of contact between the two suggests the absence of continuity. Whichever way the work is read, the result is a visually arresting commentary on the need for a revised understanding of the past, of what is modern, and of the bridges that ought to be built between the two.