Hessam Abrishami

Born in the city of Shiraz, Iran in 1951, Hessam Abrishami is one of eight brothers and sisters. He attended public schools in Shiraz and upon graduation from high school he entered his country’s military service and served for two years. It was not until he was 15 years of age that through the inspiration and encouragement of a high school teacher who was a talented artist, Hessam discovered both his love of art and his own talent for painting. As a result, he became almost obsessed with painting. As Hessam continued his education in high school and devoted his major effort to painting, he also seriously studied other related types of art including calligraphy and architecture, both of which he credits with making a major contribution to the development of his work throughout his life. At age 17 Hessam entered his paintings in a student competition and received the top award. The next year he won top honors in painting in an all-country student competition in Iran. At the age of 19, he achieved first place honors in the “Iranian New Artists Competition. Many other national and international honors and recognitions followed thereafter. After his military service, Hessam went to Italy to study, a place he considered “the center of art in Europe. It was in Perugia, Italy where he studied and completed his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts at the Accademi De Belle Arti “Pietro Vanucci.” Although he pursued his first love of portraiture by concentrating on realistic painting and special studies in anatomy, he further developed his talent by studying other styles including Impressionism, Surrealism, Cubism and Modern art. Hessam notes that he was mostly influenced in Italy by the artistic atmosphere in general, but more specifically because “colors were bright and the atmosphere was quiet and relaxed.” However, his subsequent return to his native Iran for a five-year period also had its effect on his work. There he found the country in a state of revolution; colors were darker, activity more frenetic, and there was less relaxation. It caused anger to come to the forefront. His paintings became less realistic, subjects were darker, there was more movement expressed all reflecting the mood and therefore his paintings that were moving significantly away from realism. During his stay in Iran, a collaborative effort with a friend produced a book of his paintings and the friend’s poems called Screams” This book of art and poetry proved to be unacceptable in his home country because of its powerful political and religious overtones. Shortly thereafter he left Iran for a brief stay of about eight months in Italy and then he immigrated to the States where he now lives. Vibrant colors, dynamic composition, and powerful expression go hand in hand with imagination and expert craftsmanship to create works of amazing depth and dimension which are at once intriguing and disarming to the viewer. This is but one way to describe the paintings created by the master colorist Hessam.

Hessam continues to paint, strongly influenced by all his experiences. In his chosen medium of acrylic (on both paper and canvas), he explores a realm which the French press has called, "A Statement in the Fluidity of Human Figures". He creates a tension between each figure, a kinship of place or condition that provokes the viewer to seek reasons for such relationships.