A series of paintings by the late contemporary modernist poet, philosopher and artist, Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980) is on view at Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai.
The collection marks the first in-depth exploration of the artist’s works since his retrospective at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in November 2009-January 2010, Persian art magazine ‘Tandis’ reported.
In both his poetry and paintings, Sepehri expresses “a layered sensibility through his abstract landscapes.” A frequent traveler, he absorbed various cultures whose influences became illustrated in his canvases. He studied lithography in Paris, Japanese calligraphy in Tokyo and Buddhism in India.
These influences produced a unique quality in his paintings marked by bold brush lines, or gestural swipes. His landscape paintings create visual poetry.
“All my dreams led to the desert and to the trees” Sepehri wrote, referring to elements of peace, harmony and balance that he found in nature.
“Sepehri’s study of Taoist and Zen Buddhist concepts of nature and life practice, serve as the crucial ground for his poetry and paintings, inviting the viewer to explore the dynamics between the spiritual and natural world as presented in his works,” said Heller, the exhibition curator and gallery founder.”
American collector Abby Weed Grey said of Sepehri’s works, “His canvases are abstract poems about the earth.”
Sepehri’s paintings are in major international collections, including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Grey Art Gallery of New York University.
The exhibition runs through February 29.
