Lot 79: SOHRAB SEPEHRI (IRANIAN, 1928-1980) Untitled signed in Farsi (lower right)

SOHRAB SEPEHRI (IRANIAN, 1928-1980) Untitled signed in Farsi (lower right) oil on canvas 39 3/8 x 27 1/2 in. (100 x 70cm.) Painted circa mid-1960s

PROVENANCE: David Penn Collection. A gift to the present owner’s great-grandparents in 1967, thence by descent. Enraptured by nature with a deep and profound attachment to the beauty of his childhood home in the small city of Kashan, Iranian artist, poet and intellectual Sohrab Sepehri is undoubtedly a key fgure in Modern Iranian Art, inspiring a generation of artists with his homage to his deep rooted heritage and untamed grace through the use of minimalism and partial abstraction merging East with West. A constant traveler, Sepehri lived in France, Italy and Japan, before fnally re-settling in Tehran where he dedicated himself and his life to the arts. His artistic style was principally infuenced by his time in Tokyo in the 1960s, where he mastered the techniques of lithography and wood engraving. Inspired by the Far Eastern traditional arts, particularly haikus, Sohrab Sepehri painted dreamy images resembling calligraphy that are simultaneously reminiscent of both the misty landscapes of Japanese hand-painted scrolls and Persian literary sources, therefore fusing his myriad inspirations. His majestic portrayals of semi-abstract groves of trees, with sweeping boughs within minimalistic Impressionist landscapes achieve a timeless reverie that captures the transcendent and mythical grandeur of nature and the forests he was so fond of. Harbouring an undeniable mystical quality that was without a doubt inspired by Suf philosophies, Sepehri’s works create a richness of expression in purity and simplicity of form, colour and composition that create a harmonious symbiosis between nature and civilisation. Sepehri came to see that the purity of nature was an antidote to the corruption of the human condition and thus in his oeuvre, characterised by a deep fascination of nature, celebrates the tree as a symbol of compassion and stability in a world corrupted by ignorance and malevolence. Thus, the tree became a symbol of solace for the artist, in which he found a simplicity that would put him at ease, refecting his introspection and state of mind. Employing a minimalistic use of line, colour and tone, Sepehri’s timeless works, of which the present painting is a delightful example, refect an elegance that speaks of the miniature painting and Sufst ideals of Iranian heritage but with a sensitivity that is a nod to the Zen philosophy that heavily inspired the artist during his time in Japan. Exposed to the Japanese Haikus as well as the paintings of Japan’s Masters Sesshu Toyo and Hakuin Ekaku, Sepehri thus plays on the fattening of space and earth palette to create a composition that is delicately textured and balanced in a thoughtful selection of angles and cohesion of lines, that hints at a tranquil and dreamlike world while simultaneously highlighting the artist’s eternal love for Persian calligraphy. Stylistically, the present work is a scintillating example of the very palpable sense of tension between naturalism and abstraction manifest in Sepehri’s work. Sepehri was conceptually engaged by the universality of Zen painting, its advocacy of tonal minimalism, and its shedding of excess and detail in favour of exploring true meaning through a process of eficient meditative brushstrokes, however this was heavily tempered by his desire not to forsake the identity of his surroundings. Ultimately, his attachment and love for his native home would never grant abstraction a total victory, and it is in this tension, that his sincerity is most deeply revealed. Deprived of superfuous details, the soft brushstrokes that Sepehri has employed harmoniously come together to bring the painting to life. Suggestions of green hint at the leaves gently blowing in the wind, while the passage of bright blue hints at a babbling brook, the complex yet simple cohesion of the pigments and washes layered upon one another hint at a serenity that washes over the viewer. As such, undeniably a collector’s piece, the present work ofers a captivating window into the spiritual heart and soul of the artist and his beloved connection to the serenity he felt when in his revered hometown.