Marjan Mortazavi (Iran)

Bibulous/2014/acrylic on canvas/130cm×180cm

Appreciation: Bibulous, an acrylic painting by an Iranian female artist MarjanMortazavi is inspired from a mural in the “Chehel Sotun Palace” of the Isfahan Safavid Dynasty, which shows a Persian beauty who is lying down in a garden with a flagon and a bowl in her hand and is drinking grape wine by herself. The female figure with fine lines and vivid color in the painting is elegant and composed,offering a romantic appeal usually found in the Persian poet Hafiz’s pastoral poetry. Marjan Mortazavi’s acrylic painting is not reproduced in facsimile of the original mural as we can see some changes in the profile and clothes of the female figure, a flourishing scene of luxuriant flowers and finches, more extensive strokes, more gorgeous colors, parts of the painting that are intentionally made old, vague and flaking, which shows an ancient flavor of time lapse. Although the era of Hafiz is buried in our memory, we are still intoxicated with the pastoral dreams of peace and tranquility. 

Marjan Mortazavi was born in Abadan in1979 and she is painter and illustrator now. She has held solo exhibitions in Tehran andhas participated in the 6th Illustration Biennale, Tehran and several other exhibitions in Iran.