Olive Tree, 2001
pastel
8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches
Louis Stern Fine Arts is pleased to present: Farhad Ostovani: Grape & Olive Tree, a solo exhibition of new paintings and drawings opening April 21 through June 2, 2001
“Grape & Olive Tree”
Memories from a childhood vista are reinvestigated in meticulous detail by the discerning adult eye of classically trained artist Farhad Ostovani. Born in Lahidjan, Iran, Ostovani left the grape arbored gardens and olive groves of his homeland for the tree-lined boulevards of Paris years ago. But the wonder and mystery of images as if from antiquity trail the artist into his studio today.
Dusky blushing clusters of grapes float on small canvases. The rough-skinned bark of olive branches and tree bodies come alive in moody silhouettes. Wind-swept mountain scapes painted on wood and delicate chains of leaves feathered onto paper then mounted on canvas compel the viewer to suspend any sense of time or place. Single cypress leaves, drawn with haunting simplicity, somehow demand contemplation. Working in watercolor, pastel and oil, isolating elements from a complex vista, the artist evokes the sensual pleasure of being purely inside the moment of seeing.