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The Biography of Sabzi
Biography
Born in Ahwaz,
Iran, Sabzi started painting at the age of twelve and was encouraged in his
early progression as an artist by his parents and inspiring teachers. He earned
a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Jundi
Shapur. "The best part of agriculture was the purity of its primal spaces," he
says, explaining his early sensitivity to artistic concepts.
Sabzi's early works were primarily realistic, exploring the historical and
cultural themes of his homeland. His departure from Iran during the Khomeini
regime brought him to Germany and then the United States. This exile provided
him the opportunity to explore new artistic influences, and he began to work in
abstract and figurative styles.
MODERN GODDESSES
Sabzi's subjects are almost always women -- beautiful, graceful, taciturn and
melancholy; they reflect love, mystery and solitude. His women are Madonnas,
modern goddesses and martyred saints whose elongated forms suggest instability
and internal conflict. According to Sabzi, their anonymous faces make them into
religious icons that transcend and defy the demands of reality -- reflecting
warmth, charm, happiness, and his undisputed love and admiration for women.
His paintings resonate both Eastern and Western philosophies. His rich Persian
heritage provides him with ancient images, sentimental Persian themes and
memories of innocence. He draws from the Western influence of modernism found in
the works of Klee, Cezanne, Matisse and Bonnard.
A QUEST FOR
SPIRITUALITY
His debt to modernism, especially to Matisse, is irrefutable. Earthy hues of
pale greens, yellows, purples and reds illuminate the settings and inspire the
forms with unique inner vibrations. Though schematic, the treatment of the human
face as luminous geometric planes is a profound statement of the artist's quest
for spirituality.
Sabzi goes beyond Matisse and creates spatially-revolving, post-modern worlds.
Images reflected in mirrors assume a life of their own. The effect is a powerful
multiplicity of emotional representation. Here the fantastic is treated as
ordinary and the rich fabrics of the paintings resonate intimacy.
An accomplished abstract painter, Sabzi's passion for the spiritual is
represented in the open spaces, symbolism and intricate patterns that make up
the backgrounds of his compositions. Juxtaposing the complex feelings, body
language and attitudes of his predominantly female figures against a backdrop of
shapes and forms in space, Sabzi uses texture, lines and color to make artistic
statements about love and beauty.
Art Gallery
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Gallery and its artists. Contents may not be
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This page was last updated September 10,
2004