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Lot Essay
Reza Derakshani's monumental and enchanting composition is a unique orchestration of music, movement and visual poetry transmuted into a painterly surface. Through the modernisation of ancient Persian miniature painting, the artist has adapted this technique into vibrantly coloured and expressive canvases which transport the viewer into a fantastical realm of intense beauty. This diptych is a mesmerising marriage of colour and lyrical imagery; by formulating a historical visual language with the dynamism of contemporary colour, we see a work which forges the gap between tradition and modernity, between East and West, offering a timeless and universal appreciation for Derakshani's works. Having begun this artistic journey in 1988 during his time in America, the Hunting series of works has spanned over decades, manifesting as a visual diary tracing a fascinating period of great technical artistic expression and experimentation.
Through the melodious application of paint, each one of these vibrant brushstrokes marks a distinct moment of creative methodology. The echo of cultural tradition, nature and visual poetry is combined with inventive contrasts of colour throughout the artist's oeuvre. Derakshani uses unique artistic methods to breathe new life into traditional subject matter harmonising a beautiful sense of nostalgia into his works. In this particular composition, the use of the vibrant turquoise and red hues on such a grand scale adds a burst of contemporaneity to these Persian miniatures. The layers of colours and gold resonate with sensations of luminosity and enchantment. The word 'hunt' in the case of this series has a deeper, more spiritual and metaphorical meaning and alludes to the glorious hunters in ancient Persian myths and fables. It references the vocabulary of traditional miniatures that depict royalty at leisure, in pleasure gardens with secret lovers and polo players.
The artist describes his works as those which hunt the light, the darkness, hunting colour and beauty. Derakshani has the unusual ability to preserve his heritage and culture, which he in turns applies onto the poetic surfaces of his canvas, reflecting an remarkable technique, but also a captivating sense of beauty.
Through the melodious application of paint, each one of these vibrant brushstrokes marks a distinct moment of creative methodology. The echo of cultural tradition, nature and visual poetry is combined with inventive contrasts of colour throughout the artist's oeuvre. Derakshani uses unique artistic methods to breathe new life into traditional subject matter harmonising a beautiful sense of nostalgia into his works. In this particular composition, the use of the vibrant turquoise and red hues on such a grand scale adds a burst of contemporaneity to these Persian miniatures. The layers of colours and gold resonate with sensations of luminosity and enchantment. The word 'hunt' in the case of this series has a deeper, more spiritual and metaphorical meaning and alludes to the glorious hunters in ancient Persian myths and fables. It references the vocabulary of traditional miniatures that depict royalty at leisure, in pleasure gardens with secret lovers and polo players.
The artist describes his works as those which hunt the light, the darkness, hunting colour and beauty. Derakshani has the unusual ability to preserve his heritage and culture, which he in turns applies onto the poetic surfaces of his canvas, reflecting an remarkable technique, but also a captivating sense of beauty.