Iradj Eskandari is an artist who turned to social and figurative painting while he was greatly influenced by masters such as Bahman Boroujeni during the revolution. His mural paintings resembled themes of the Iran-Iraq war and revolution which are still remembered by many of us. By concentrating on the history of modernist painting, during the 90s, he experienced abstract painting. Because he was keen on the ancient history of Iran, thru studying ancient motifs and themes, he began to create symbolic works in the next decades.
The Story of Shirin is formed in accordance with his approach in combining and merging principles of modern art with Iran’s symbolic motifs which includes a meaningful paradox between visual narrative and the applied materials and techniques; stylization of famous Persian literature in forms and geometrical compositions along with absolute modernist mono-color with rough materials and a complex technique seems to be an amazing tale that refers to the story of Khosrow and Shirin or Shirin and Farhad. Nonetheless, it represents other implicit indications as well; a sweet story of a lifetime painting to conflicts between the delicacy and roughness of life.
Zarvan Rouhbakhshan | November 2018
Translated by: Narges Marandi