A solo painting exhibition ‘Girls of Turquoise Land’ by Iranian painter, miniaturist and calligrapher Behzad Bozorgi, 45, is underway at Vali Art Gallery in north Tehran.

The exhibit opened on May 5 and will run through May 16 on all days except Saturdays from 4-8 pm, Honaronline reported.

It is a showcase of acrylic paintings on canvas, highlighting the rich and ancient Persian school of miniature painting “in a modernistic way.”

The paintings have a particular focus on the rendering of faces. In form and aesthetics, they follow the Persian school, but not in technique.

“I departed from my special interest in Iranian miniature a few years back and decided to adopt a new approach in my paintings,” Bozorgi said.

His new approach includes large dimensions, figures against abstract backgrounds, painterly rendering of calligraphy scripts and stimulant colors. He has deliberately distanced his style from the customary forms and norms expected in Iranian miniature. Where there was once a poetic dance of forms, he now creates a concept of peace and tranquility.

In an introduction to the ongoing exhibit, Bozorgi said: “I have tried to focus on prominent elements of the Isfahan School of Art, to express my perspective in painting and portray a traditionalistic look at the works by the old masters.”

He said he has also tried, through a modern approach with colors and in an abstract atmosphere, to have a new look at the works of the great master of the art, Reza Abbasi (1565-1635), who was the leading Persian miniaturist of the Isfahan School during the late Safavid period.

Vali Art gallery is located at No. 72, Khodami Street, Vanak Square./ Financial tribune /