Ali Moshiri Exhibits at Grubbs Gallery

Influences from Kandinsky, Miró, and Rothko can be seen in the colorful canvases that jump off the walls of the Grubbs Gallery, which now resembles a modern art gallery of the 1930s with Ali Moshiri’s Surrealist paintings.

Born in Iran, Moshiri was educated in the United States and England.  He returned to Iran for medical school, completed his residency in Cincinnati, and then began working at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1984.  According to his website, as, “a young and untrained, but passionate, artist, Moshiri’s sketchbook was a constant companion in his spare time.”

His work has always been based on observations from nature, especially landscapes, says Moshiri.  “The most recent paintings in the last 15 years are still based on these observations; however, the ultimate result is that of the paint and the painted surface, in an attempt to capture its own nature without any hints or references to anything external to the painting,” he added.

“The layers of paint and color in Ali Moshiri’s work create a depth that is felt by the viewer, as well as seen,” said Natania Hume, curator of the Grubbs Gallery.

“The atmosphere present in the work is almost reminiscent of a memory, and the paintings have an echo-like quality where they seem at once familiar and totally original. It is this quality of emotional resonance that made me first respond to his work, and it is also what makes Ali’s paintings both widely appealing and profound,” she added.

“Looking at Moshiri’s work is like investigating for hidden treasures,” said Rachel Chambers, an art teacher.  “The overall image is dreamlike and ethereal in the markmaking. When you take a step closer you find what seems to be a covert message of shapes and symbols,” she said.

“A language between the maker and the viewer that is only visible to those who have taken the extra stride. I feel the layers of brave and controlled colors are catching every airborne particle in its tissue, creating a personality for each piece,” said Chambers.

Moshiri has had solo exhibits at the Fauve Gallery in Amherst (1987, 1988), the Image Gallery in Stockbridge (1989, 1990), Ute Stebich Gallery in Lenox (1993, 1994), and in 2005 at the Lamont Gallery at Phillips-Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire.  His paintings have also been included in larger shows including Wunderarts in Amherst (2008), and separately at the Still Life (2010), Non-Objective (2010), and Landscape (2011) exhibits at William Baczek Fine Arts  Ali Moshiri is represented by William Baczek Fine Arts of Northampton, Massachusetts.

Moshiri’s paintings will be exhibited at the Grubbs Gallery in the Reed Campus Center on The Williston Northampton School campus until Wednesday, October 31, 2012.  Admission is free.

 

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