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Lot Essay
'In my view Persian poetry was the purest emanation of the human soul, especially since it enjoyed a fraternal relationship with music. I considered Iranian architecture, particularly the Islamic variety, to number among the most successful creations of man I considered the former as art overflowing with emotion, the latter as the finest conception of dimensionality in space.'
(The artist quoted in D. Galloway (ed.), Parviz Tanavoli: Sculptor, Writer & Collector, Tehran 2000, p. 75.)
A pioneer of the Saqqakhaneh, an art movement emerging in the 1960s that embraces features of traditional Iranian heritage as well as modern imports, Parviz Tanavoli is undeniably one of the most acclaimed Iranian artists of today.
A striking example from his Standing Poet series, the present work is a timeless interpretation of Sufism and Persian poetry. The sculpture does not depict a human form or facial features, poses and hand gestures are effaced, yet the title suggests otherwise, thus leaving the viewer to use their imagination to penetrate the artist's own universe.
Like in lyrical Persian poetry, Tanavoli's sculpture simultaneously reveals and conceals; his creation discloses his inner world while the abstract nature of the sculpture veils his personal revelations. The word saqqakhaneh refers to traditional public watering fountains that are considered hallow ground and the cage form that Tanavoli has mastered emulates their shape. In addition to representing a sacred feature of religious places, the cage in Standing Poet indicates the metaphorical cage within the poet's soul and the longing for self-expression.
The lock, or qofl, is a signature feature of his sculptures that recalls the traditional ornamentation of the saqqakhaneh and symbolises the ritual and spiritual release from suffering. Tanavoli alludes to the healing of poets through creation as well as the freeing space that revelation creates.
While Tanavoli is a dedicated explorer and collector of Iran's traditional arts and crafts, he amalgamates the historical features inherited from his homeland's culture with his own array of modern symbols and perspectives. His stylistic approach essentially differs from the adaptions of 'primitive' or 'exotic' sources that Modernists such as Braque, Picasso and Gauguin employed, as he finds a balance between past and present, between the Eastern traditions that he admires and Western Modern art that he encountered as a student in Italy and later whilst living in the United States and Canada.
The present work is a striking example of Parviz Tanavoli's lyrical exploration of myths and legends. The artist develops the concept of abstraction through veiling as he reduces elements to simple geometric forms that only give few clues to the viewer and reveals his profound inspiration by the art of poetry.
Other examples from the Poet series are included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Walker Art Center Minneapolis and the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.
(The artist quoted in D. Galloway (ed.), Parviz Tanavoli: Sculptor, Writer & Collector, Tehran 2000, p. 75.)
A pioneer of the Saqqakhaneh, an art movement emerging in the 1960s that embraces features of traditional Iranian heritage as well as modern imports, Parviz Tanavoli is undeniably one of the most acclaimed Iranian artists of today.
A striking example from his Standing Poet series, the present work is a timeless interpretation of Sufism and Persian poetry. The sculpture does not depict a human form or facial features, poses and hand gestures are effaced, yet the title suggests otherwise, thus leaving the viewer to use their imagination to penetrate the artist's own universe.
Like in lyrical Persian poetry, Tanavoli's sculpture simultaneously reveals and conceals; his creation discloses his inner world while the abstract nature of the sculpture veils his personal revelations. The word saqqakhaneh refers to traditional public watering fountains that are considered hallow ground and the cage form that Tanavoli has mastered emulates their shape. In addition to representing a sacred feature of religious places, the cage in Standing Poet indicates the metaphorical cage within the poet's soul and the longing for self-expression.
The lock, or qofl, is a signature feature of his sculptures that recalls the traditional ornamentation of the saqqakhaneh and symbolises the ritual and spiritual release from suffering. Tanavoli alludes to the healing of poets through creation as well as the freeing space that revelation creates.
While Tanavoli is a dedicated explorer and collector of Iran's traditional arts and crafts, he amalgamates the historical features inherited from his homeland's culture with his own array of modern symbols and perspectives. His stylistic approach essentially differs from the adaptions of 'primitive' or 'exotic' sources that Modernists such as Braque, Picasso and Gauguin employed, as he finds a balance between past and present, between the Eastern traditions that he admires and Western Modern art that he encountered as a student in Italy and later whilst living in the United States and Canada.
The present work is a striking example of Parviz Tanavoli's lyrical exploration of myths and legends. The artist develops the concept of abstraction through veiling as he reduces elements to simple geometric forms that only give few clues to the viewer and reveals his profound inspiration by the art of poetry.
Other examples from the Poet series are included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Walker Art Center Minneapolis and the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.