Lot 109: Koorosh Shishegaran , B. 1945 Untitled oil on canvas

signed and dated in Farsi 86 (A.P./A.D. 2007); signed and dated in Farsi 1386 (A.P./A.D. 2007) on a label affixed to the reverse oil on canvas

149.8 by 149.8cm.; 59 by 59in.

Tehran, Saba Art and Cultural Institute, Tehran Contemporary Biennial, 2008

Private Collection, Tehran (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Koorosh Shishegaran is one of the few artists of his generation to embrace a truly contemporary visual schema whilst maintaining a strong link with the key spiritual elements that characterise Iran's artistic landscape. Having developed a distinct, free-flowing style inspired by an abstraction of calligraphic letterforms, Shishegaran's early works consisted of pseudo-figurative depictions weaved by curvilinear strokes. Yet as his artistic style evolved, his works were thrust further into abstraction, demonstrating technical and conceptual refinement in the absence of figurative clarity.

Untitled is a superlative example of Shishegaran at his most visually mature. Gone is the semblance of bodily form, gone is the suggestion of figurative representation, and it is at this height of abstraction where Shishegaran's agenda is brought to sublime fruition. Latent in the composition the viewer is caught in the terse conflict between what appear to be arbitrary, stray brushstrokes and what are in actual fact meticulously executed forms; a visual characteristic that points to the profound contrast between apparent chaos in the worldly realm and an underlying divine order.

Shishegaran's present composition is played out on a commanding scale. In it, he makes heavy use of bright, vivid hues of yellows in combination with bold, towering intertwined linear forms. The artist then contrasts some clearly defined linear depictions with opaque, indistinct and blurred sections that dominate the centre of the canvas. This is representative not only of a clear progression in Shishegaran's mode of expression, but perhaps points towards deeper conflicts between appearance and essence, challenging our senses to distinguish between mere perceptions and actual forms.

In style, execution, scale and schema, the present work is demonstrative of Shishegaran at his most artistically astute. A painter willing to at once break free from the traditional formalism of his artistic milieu, whilst retaining the spiritual essence that breathes life-force into his compositions, Shishegaran's works are emblematic of an artistic impulse that is liberal in execution whilst remaining profound in conception.