Farhad Moshiri

Gallery Frank Pages, Baden-Baden
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2007

This work is in good condition. There is draw at the four corner tips of the canvas. There are faint handling marks along the edges and a 4cm rub mark running parallel to the left section of the bottom edge. There are stretcher marks to the upper section of the left edge. All surface imperfections are inherent to the artist's choice of medium and creative process. The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, with the overall tonality being off white and brighter in the original work. The colour of the jar leans more towards a bronze hue.
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Born in Shiraz in 1963, Farhad Moshiri has explored the artistic potential of various mediums throughout his successful career. After studying art and filmmaking at the California Institute of Arts (CalArts) he spent several years in America before returning to Iran and producing his Jar Series, which marked his rise to becoming an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist.  He has exhibited extensively on the international level, with major solo shows in Rome, London, and Berlin.  Moshiri’s work frequently combines an understanding of Iranian visual vernacular with wittily satirical references to popular culture, whilst also drawing upon the rich traditions of Iran’s artistic and literary heritage. 

This immense work forms part of Moshiri’s debut Jar Series, one of the most important and instantly recognisable sequences of his career to date. His jars are variously influenced by the amphorae of the pre-Islamic period, namely Sassanian remains, the 13th century Seljuk potters in Persia, and the extraordinary archaeological riches of Iran. The creation of the Jars is a painstaking process: the fragility of the craquelure within this piece is the result of Moshiri patiently applying layers of paint before folding and crushing the canvas. Set against a plain white background the viewer is encouraged to consider the object in its entirety and without extraneous distraction. Moshiri’s decision to celebrate a humble utilitarian object marks his commitment to continuity and tradition: “I had picked as a subject matter an object that the first man had made and here I was, thousands of years later, doing the same thing again, despite every revolution, all the changes that had happened.” (Warren Singh-Bartlett, "Farhad Moshiri: When Ancient Becomes Modern," Canvas Magazine, Vol. I, No. 5, September/October 2005, pp. 76-79).