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Kamran Khavarani
Kamran Khavarani (born 1941) is an Iranian-American architect and painter. He has won multiple awards for his residential and commercial designs and a painter trained in the classical style.[1] What may be his most notable achievement is the creation of a new style of painting called Abstract Romanticism, accredited to him by art historian Albert Boime of UCLA in 2005.[2] His paintings have gained recognition from the Library of Congress and have been researched for their therapeutic effects.[3] BiographyKamran Khavarani was born in 1941, in Tehran, Iran. He started painting at the age of 12. Khavarani was trained in classical painting by Reza Samimi. In 1966, he graduated from The University of Tehran having completed a Master's in Architecture and a PhD in Urban Design. Khavarani started his career as an architect. In 1965, his conceptual design for the City Theater of Tehran was selected by an international jury. Khavarani moved to the United States in 1981.[2] After he took residency in Los Angeles, California he had to start his architectural career all over. His first project in the States was in Beverly Hills. After the completion of that project in 1984, Khavarani won the CALBO Award of Excellence in the single-family category. He later designed the World Trade Bank of Beverly Hills, for which he won a design award from the City of Beverly Hills Architectural Commission.[1][4] Khavarani took painting more seriously after arriving in the States. In the 1990s, he started studying philosophy and found inspiration in the works of the Persian poet Rumi.[2][3] Khavarani's painting style was discovered by the late Professor Albert Boime, a Social Art Historian from UCLA. Boime wrote The Birth of Abstract Romanticism, Art for a New Humanity, Rumi and the Paintings of Kamran Khavarani, dedicating the entire volume to the works of Kamran Khavarani. Professor Albert Boime credited Khavarani for the creation of an artistic movement through his new style of painting, "Abstract Romanticism," and called it a "one-person movement"[5] In 2010, Khavarani's drawing, titled "The Bird of Freedom" was presented by Nowruz Commission to the spirit of Thomas Jefferson and accepted into the Library of Congress by James Hadley Billington.[6][7] This presentation was officially noted in the Congressional Records and became part of the United States history. In 2011, the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations awarded Khavarani the Ellis Island Medal of Honor[8] in recognition of his contributions to America. In 2013, the potential therapeutic effect of his artwork was undergoing academic research.[3] Style and TechniqueKhavarani is trained in classical painting, his early works were painted in this style. His works also include ink sketches and lifelike portraits[1] In more recent years, his paintings are inspired by the Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi. Rumi emphasizes the freedom of and individuality of creation obtained through love and joy and the fluidity of reinventing itself, but to viewers these connections are indistinguishable. Yet, his paintings hold the capacity to endow a heightened state of mind associated with the themes of Rumi.[2] Common motifs of his paintings include plants: such as flowers and trees, the four elements: earth, wind, water and fire, and he uses the theme of creation or Genesis. This new style of painting is in the genre of "Abstract Romanticism", described by Albert Boime as: "The debut of a new art form, bringing emotion and beauty into the here and now. A dreaming for and of transcendence: an art for a new humanity".[2] Khavarani mainly paints with his hands and wears gloves to protect his skin.[3] Selected Awards and Recognition
Khavarani's most recognized achievement is the creation of "Abstract Romanticism". In an open letter to his art historian colleagues, Albert Boime wrote:
Selected works
External links
References
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