Untitled (Trees series)

Part of Sohrab Sepehri’s celebrated series of tree-trunk paintings from the 1970s, Untitled is dominated by regular rows of trees extending across the composition. A restrained palette of dark wood, tan and khaki evokes the dry, earthy landscape surrounding his native Kashan. The trunks incline gently to the right, rising diagonally towards the sky, while overlapping branches extend across the upper register, creating a powerful sense of continuity and scale. So closely do the forms interlock that it becomes difficult to discern where one tree ends and another begins. Although semi-abstract, the trees retain a recognisable physical presence, while their smooth, pared-back surfaces and austere treatment reduce them to essential forms. Compared with other works from the series, the trunks here are distinguished by subtle patterns and muted sandy passages, recalling the desert landscapes that surrounded Sepehri during his childhood. The painting reflects his practice of working en plein air in and around Kashan, as well as his enduring engagement with nature and the simplicity of everyday life.

The repetition of the trees and the seamless continuity of their forms transform the landscape into an image of interconnectedness and stability. Devoid of human presence or conventional narrative, the composition invites sustained contemplation, shifting attention from the individual tree towards the rhythm and structure of the natural world. Sepehri does not seek to reproduce the Iranian landscape literally; rather, he distils its essential qualities into line, pattern and rhythm. This approach reflects the profound influence of Far Eastern art on his mature practice. At a time when many of his contemporaries were looking towards European modernism, Sepehri was drawn to the restrained palettes, simplified forms and contemplative treatment of nature found in Chinese and Japanese art. His journey to Japan in 1961, where he studied traditional woodwork, marked an important turning point, deepening his engagement with Far Eastern aesthetics. By the 1970s, he had absorbed these influences into a highly personal visual language. A quiet Zen sensibility pervades Untitled: the trees cease to function merely as representations of landscape and instead become meditations on permanence, stillness and the interconnectedness of all living things. In this transformation of a seemingly simple stand of trees into an image of profound tranquility, Sepehri reveals the spiritual dimension of his vision of nature.

Born in 1928, Sohrab Sepehri was one of Iran’s foremost modernist painters and a pioneer of modern Persian poetry. Raised in Kashan, a city whose landscape would remain a defining presence throughout his career, Sepehri studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, graduating in 1953. His artistic and literary practices developed in close parallel, with his poetry and painting united by a profound interest in nature, contemplation and the human experience. His poetry would ultimately establish him as one of the most distinctive voices of modern Persian literature, while his paintings placed him among the leading figures of Iranian modernism. Travel was central to Sepehri’s artistic development. His encounters with Japan and the art of the Far East introduced him to traditions that would have a lasting influence on his restrained, contemplative visual language, while his study of Eastern philosophy informed the meditative quality of both his poetry and painting.

Sepehri’s work has exhibited widely in Iran and beyond, including at the 1958 Venice Biennale, the 1960 Tehran Biennale and in exhibitions drawn from the Mana Jalalian Collection. His paintings are held in several prominent institutions including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Grey Art Gallery, New York.