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Lot Essay
Drawing inspiration from the immense and mystical world of Persian poetry and music, Derakshani's paintings have been described as visual music, with colour, sound and poetry transmuted into shadow and light. The artist cleverly uses the complementary nature of opposites, by using strong contrasts in palette and symmetry while playing with both lightness and darkness.
Trees are a recurrent theme in Derakshani's work. They connect one to nature, a living phenomenon, which at times resemble human figures. The Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of the Universe reveal the long iconographic history in ancient Persian culture. With their roots deep in the Earth, a tree comes back to life from death. In Persian mythology the Tree of Life is at the centre of heaven and guarded by a lion and a wild goat. A fig tree is the most sacred, whilst a pomegranate tree represents passion and fertility. In the present work, the fig tree is represented, both in the light of day and in the darkness of night, with the metaphorical and dualistic associations thus rendered.
Charming, powerful and overwhelming, Derakshani's oeuvre has assertively placed him amongst the greatest masters of Iranian art. Not only is his practice visually splendid, it is also socially engaging, thus leading the viewer to reflect on social structures and boundaries. The creation of beauty is for the artist an act of revolution in itself and the present painting is a delightful example of the artist's constant search for meaning in life and art as well as their respective definitions.
Trees are a recurrent theme in Derakshani's work. They connect one to nature, a living phenomenon, which at times resemble human figures. The Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of the Universe reveal the long iconographic history in ancient Persian culture. With their roots deep in the Earth, a tree comes back to life from death. In Persian mythology the Tree of Life is at the centre of heaven and guarded by a lion and a wild goat. A fig tree is the most sacred, whilst a pomegranate tree represents passion and fertility. In the present work, the fig tree is represented, both in the light of day and in the darkness of night, with the metaphorical and dualistic associations thus rendered.
Charming, powerful and overwhelming, Derakshani's oeuvre has assertively placed him amongst the greatest masters of Iranian art. Not only is his practice visually splendid, it is also socially engaging, thus leading the viewer to reflect on social structures and boundaries. The creation of beauty is for the artist an act of revolution in itself and the present painting is a delightful example of the artist's constant search for meaning in life and art as well as their respective definitions.