This week I will introduce you to Iran through the perspective of an artist, through the perspective of a realist painter, Iman Maleki.
A realist painter, as the name says, is an artist who represents subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions. They display the world on their canvas exactly the way they see it, without the fear to offend anyone or the obligation to please someone. And Iman Maleki is one of them.
Source: http://imanmaleki.com/en/Galery/allalone.htm
Iman was born on 1976 in Tehran. As a child he showed amazing interest on art and started to learn painting under the mastery of his first and only teacher, Morteza Katouzian, who is one of the greatest realist painter of Iran. It is about this time that he started painting professionally. Iman graduated from Graphic Design from the Tehran Art University in 1999 and established his own studio named ARA painting studio. Iman participated in different realistic exhibitions and received William Bouguereau award in 2005. In 2005, Iman received the William Bouguereau award which is a prestigious art award for realist artists, and the Chairman’s Choice award in the second international ARC salon competition.
Source: http://imanmaleki.com/en/Galery/omensofhafez.htm
Iman Maleki brought a new style of realism in his paintings. His paintings are known for their complex series and fine details in his work. His work is phenomenal. Each and every painting is done with complete perfection. For example in his 100 x 75 cm painting titled Dizziness the words can be read on the newspaper that are flying about in the sky.
Source: http://imanmaleki.com/en/Galery/dissiness.htm
The expressions in every painting seems to be calling out to his viewers. They are as natural as if the person is sitting right in front of you. But what more is seen in his paintings is the simplicity of the Iranian people’s lives.
Today many people have a different perspective of Iran, whether it be because of their president, their political stance or domestic issues. Most of the western and European part of the world might not have the most positive view when it comes to Iran. The Iranian nuclear position and the Iranian Nuclear Deal has especially created a sense of negative vibe associated with the country and anything related to it. But Iman’s paintings show a very different side of Iran; a side that only he can share and that perhaps everyone in the world can relate to.
His paintings show the beauty and innocent of little children playing, sisters looking through pictures, a mother tending towards her child and a father carrying his son over his shoulders.
Source: http://imanmaleki.com/en/Galery/sistersandbook.htm
He shows the hardship of children polishing shoes on the side of the road; he shows a hopeless woman sitting with her child outside the house. He shows frowns upon the faces of the people walking through the sun and dust in the day and the smiles upon their faces when sitting in the warmth and comfort of their house.
Source: http://imanmaleki.com/en/Galery/fisherman.htm
Iman shows what he sees. His paintings does not tend to please anyone or are not intended to persuade others in a particular way. Instead they only displays what he sees.
Source: http://imanmaleki.com/en/Galery/sunlight.htm
I personally have tried to replicate numerous pieces of his works among which are Sisters and Book, Fishmonger, and Omen-of-Hafez. Iman Maleki is an inspiration for me as an artist. His paintings are not only pleasing to the eye, but pleasing to the mind. It expresses humanity and encourage peace.
I think artwork and artists like Iman are extremely important as they present the aspects of a culture that are often ignored by the news. Like you said, Iran is a country that many people have negative opinions about because of the stories of violence, terrorism, and political unrest covered by the media. Art can help change these opinions by showing scenes of everyday life and of everyday emotions. Art can fill in the blanks left by the news.
Those paintings are beautiful. As someone who has always been interested in other cultures, I love reading about artists from other countries. It’s so fascinating to see how different their lives are from ours here in the U.S. and how the artist perceives his surroundings. I also appreciate you explaining what realist art before you went on to talk about the artist’s work, too, since I am not too familiar with art terms.
It’s stunning to me how he makes every person beautiful, even though they are in situations where you might not expect it!
I love this work. The artwork is so soft and gentle, giving a really different perspective to a country that the US perceives as violent and dangerous. The paintings express a beautiful sense of home and family. As you said above, “his paintings does not tend to please anyone or are not intended to persuade others in a particular way”. I think this makes the work much more appealing, as there is no bias or controversy but simply a portrayal of what is.