About Mr. Valipour
He was born in south west Iran, in 1956. Masud developed a keen interest in Persian Calligraphy in his late teens. His innate talent flourished without formal training in the tradition of his predecessors in classic Persian calligraphy. He displayed extraordinary talent and discipline in this art form and gained recognition by the early 1980s. Masud began teaching calligraphy in his hometown of Ahwaz in 1985 until his departure to the United States in 1988. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Since his arrival in the US, he has continued teaching the classic style, and works on various media including canvas, wood and paper. His distinct style developed gradually and matured by mid 1990s. His work has been displayed at exhibits in UCLA and Columbia University. Masud was a participating artist at the 1994 Australian Festival of Persian Arts in Sydney. Latest gallery showing occurred November 2007 in San Francisco, California.
Masud’s Innovative Style
Traditional manuscript style requires unified size and equidistance. In the ornate format, this standard is applied by depicting words in intricate geometric shapes where size may vary but precise symmetry remains sacred in linear perimeters.
Masud unchained letters from all convention to bring forth the chaotic order of fluidity. This visual embodiment of poetry in motion is rooted in laws of physics. The trajectory of a line is the natural extension of the letter’s curvature. Symmetry is no longer defined on surface, but in three dimensional space.
Introducing motion to the content on canvas came about after his in depth exposure to classical chamber and orchestral music. The elegant merging of numerous instruments into one harmonious sound with peaks and valleys is closely akin to the continuity in calligraphy that transforms individual letters with different properties into new forms with infinite possibilities.
On his canvas, parts are moving independently, and still in unison with the whole. The whole takes on a new direction, carrying its moving components. This is consistent with both organic and celestial laws reflecting connection of cell to body, or planets to solar system.
This is also echoed in the subject on canvas. Poetry of enlightenment is the juxtaposition of duality in reference and form. It is transcendent, reaching beyond borders, language and time. The poetry addresses individual’s reflection of the whole within self, as well as one’s ability to shape the whole’s destiny. Oftentimes the depths are disguised in romantic metaphors transforming the poem into an elegant paradox.
Masud views each piece of literature in the context of its history, where the poet’s personal life as well as socio-political influences colored the writing. This detailed analysis leads to choice of light and shadow in the background, edge tension, centered balance, and canvas orientation. He chooses a verse based on subject, or sometimes its visual composition.
Rumi is among the most celebrated poets in Persian literature whose body of work provides inspiration for the artist. Though classical Persian literature is his most frequently chosen subject, Masud has featured contemporary works as well.
Undoubtedly, Masud’s style has evolved since the birth of his daughter, Miros. He began expanding his horizon in classical music and played it more often. Birth of Miros in January 2001 marks the beginning of signing work as “Miros Valipour”.
