Abolhassan Khan Sadighi
Encyclopedia
Abolhassan Sadighi (1894 – 1995) was one of the most prominent Iranian sculptors and painters and was known as the Master Sadighi.
in 1894. Influenced by his family's encouragement, he entered the Alliance school after finishing his primary education. There, while learning various subjects, he instinctly was attracted to painting
and drawing
without any teaching or guidance.
His love for painting and drawing went on to become the student of Master Kamal-al-Molk Ghaffari and soon due to his untiring efforts he became one of the most remarkable art students of the Master Kamal-al-Molk. At the end of his educational time in the School of Fine Arts (مدرسه صنایع مستظرفه) that Master Kamal-al-Molk, appointed him as an instructor of painting and drawing to that school.
Shortly after his employment he began to find himself with a secret attraction towards sculpture
. Without adequate means, he ventured to create his first stucco bust of a child and offered it to his great Master, Kamal-al-Molk. Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi's innovative first sculpture was the beginning of a new movement in the art of sculpture in modern-Iran.
After numerous experiences in creating plaster sculptures, he made his first stone sculpture on a stucco model of Venus de Milo
. The sculpture received so much credit and praise that Kamal-al-Molk took his apprentice and the Venus sculpture to the Imperial Court, and introduced him to Ahmad Shah
of the Qajar dynasty
. Then, after that meeting, he was offered a monthly salary from the order of Ahmad Shah and then became the director of the School of Delicate Crafts. Upon this honor, he totally devoted himself to sculpture and made sculptures from both plaster and stone. These sculptures, such as the bust Ferdowsi
on the Eagle's Wings, the full statue of Amir Kabir
, and the most memorable of all, Haji Moqbel the Black Flute Player.
In 1928 Kamal-al-Molk was exiled to Hosseinabad of Nishapur
, which Master Abolhassan found it hard to endure that, with a tiny amount of money that he had saved throughout the years, he left Iran for Europe
. In Europe he visited many countries, and for four years he studied sculpture at Ecole des Beaux-Arts
in France
. His teacher was Ange Albert, the skillful master of sculpture in Beaux-Arts.
In Beaux-Arts he managed to prove himself more talented in competition with other art students at Ecole. During his stay in Europe, he created, in addition to sculptures, some works in oil and watercolour which showed the influenced he got from the new European art movements of the time.
In 1932, after returning to Iran, he accepted a request, in obedience, from his exiled Master Kamal-al-Molk to re-open the School of Delicate Crafts and be its director. Once again, the school became a center of visual art, which played a major role in the development of sculpture in modern Iran.
The School of Delicate Crafts lasted almost to the death of Master Kamal-al-Molk, and then was closed. Sometime later the school rematerialised in another form of art school, under the new name which is called the Institute of Fine Arts (هنرستان هنرهای زیبا), under the patronage of the Ministry of Art and Culture, in which tMaster Sadighi taught sculpture in the institute.
A few years after the school was established, it joined as a part of Tehran University. It then became known as the Faculty of Fine Arts and had various art branches, including a department for sculpture under the supervision of Master Sadighi and retired from Tehran University in 1967.
In addition to teaching sculpture to numerous art students and creating many artistically valuable oil and watercolour paintings, Master Sadighi showed his artistic genius by making the huge and monumental stone statue of The Angel of Justice, which was 2.70 meters high and which was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. This statue is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of sculpture not only in Iran, but throughout the entire World.
In 1950, Master Sadighi accepted a membership into the National Art Works Society and entered the most creative period of his life. He mad many lasting statues of celebrated men of literature and science of Iran such as Sheikh Sa'di of Shiraz, Ferdowsi of Tus, the great philosopher and physician Abu Ali Sina (Avicenna
), and the bronze statue of Nader Shah
Accompanied by His Horseman, which was cast in Milan
, Italy. The most important of his works during that period was the monumental and magnificent Statue of Ferdowsi, which was set up in Villa Borghese
Square of Rome and made the sculptor well known to European art societies.
The career of Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi as a sculptor ended, in fact, by making busts and statues of the Iranian poet and philosopher Khayyam
. He then isolated himself from the art world almost entirely, and spent time raising his family.
Abolhassan Khan Sadighi died in 1995
Biography
He was born in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in 1894. Influenced by his family's encouragement, he entered the Alliance school after finishing his primary education. There, while learning various subjects, he instinctly was attracted to painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
without any teaching or guidance.
His love for painting and drawing went on to become the student of Master Kamal-al-Molk Ghaffari and soon due to his untiring efforts he became one of the most remarkable art students of the Master Kamal-al-Molk. At the end of his educational time in the School of Fine Arts (مدرسه صنایع مستظرفه) that Master Kamal-al-Molk, appointed him as an instructor of painting and drawing to that school.
Shortly after his employment he began to find himself with a secret attraction towards sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
. Without adequate means, he ventured to create his first stucco bust of a child and offered it to his great Master, Kamal-al-Molk. Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi's innovative first sculpture was the beginning of a new movement in the art of sculpture in modern-Iran.
After numerous experiences in creating plaster sculptures, he made his first stone sculpture on a stucco model of Venus de Milo
Venus de Milo
Aphrodite of Milos , better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created at some time between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly...
. The sculpture received so much credit and praise that Kamal-al-Molk took his apprentice and the Venus sculpture to the Imperial Court, and introduced him to Ahmad Shah
Ahmad Shah Qajar
Ahmad Shah Qajar was Shah of Iran from July 16, 1909, to October 31, 1925 and the last of the Qajar dynasty.- Reign :...
of the Qajar dynasty
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
. Then, after that meeting, he was offered a monthly salary from the order of Ahmad Shah and then became the director of the School of Delicate Crafts. Upon this honor, he totally devoted himself to sculpture and made sculptures from both plaster and stone. These sculptures, such as the bust Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
on the Eagle's Wings, the full statue of Amir Kabir
Amir Kabir
Amir Kabir , also known as Mirza Taghi Khan Amir-Nezam , also known by the titles of Atabak and Amir-e Nezam; chief minister to Naser al-Din Shah Qajar for the first three years of his reign and one of the most capable and innovative figures to appear in the whole Qajar period...
, and the most memorable of all, Haji Moqbel the Black Flute Player.
In 1928 Kamal-al-Molk was exiled to Hosseinabad of Nishapur
Nishapur
Nishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
, which Master Abolhassan found it hard to endure that, with a tiny amount of money that he had saved throughout the years, he left Iran for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In Europe he visited many countries, and for four years he studied sculpture at Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. His teacher was Ange Albert, the skillful master of sculpture in Beaux-Arts.
In Beaux-Arts he managed to prove himself more talented in competition with other art students at Ecole. During his stay in Europe, he created, in addition to sculptures, some works in oil and watercolour which showed the influenced he got from the new European art movements of the time.
In 1932, after returning to Iran, he accepted a request, in obedience, from his exiled Master Kamal-al-Molk to re-open the School of Delicate Crafts and be its director. Once again, the school became a center of visual art, which played a major role in the development of sculpture in modern Iran.
The School of Delicate Crafts lasted almost to the death of Master Kamal-al-Molk, and then was closed. Sometime later the school rematerialised in another form of art school, under the new name which is called the Institute of Fine Arts (هنرستان هنرهای زیبا), under the patronage of the Ministry of Art and Culture, in which tMaster Sadighi taught sculpture in the institute.
A few years after the school was established, it joined as a part of Tehran University. It then became known as the Faculty of Fine Arts and had various art branches, including a department for sculpture under the supervision of Master Sadighi and retired from Tehran University in 1967.
In addition to teaching sculpture to numerous art students and creating many artistically valuable oil and watercolour paintings, Master Sadighi showed his artistic genius by making the huge and monumental stone statue of The Angel of Justice, which was 2.70 meters high and which was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. This statue is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of sculpture not only in Iran, but throughout the entire World.
In 1950, Master Sadighi accepted a membership into the National Art Works Society and entered the most creative period of his life. He mad many lasting statues of celebrated men of literature and science of Iran such as Sheikh Sa'di of Shiraz, Ferdowsi of Tus, the great philosopher and physician Abu Ali Sina (Avicenna
Avicenna
Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
), and the bronze statue of Nader Shah
Nader Shah
Nāder Shāh Afshār ruled as Shah of Iran and was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia or the Second Alexander...
Accompanied by His Horseman, which was cast in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy. The most important of his works during that period was the monumental and magnificent Statue of Ferdowsi, which was set up in Villa Borghese
Villa Borghese
Villa Borghese may refer to:*The Villa Borghese Pinciana , the villa built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio , developing sketches by Scipione Borghese, who used it as a villa suburbana, a party villa, at the edge of Rome, and to house his art collection.**The Galleria...
Square of Rome and made the sculptor well known to European art societies.
The career of Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi as a sculptor ended, in fact, by making busts and statues of the Iranian poet and philosopher Khayyam
Khayyam
Omar Khayyam was a Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer.Omar Khayyam or Khayyam or may also refer to:* Khayyam, Iran* Mohammed Zahur Khayyam , commonly credited as 'Khayaam', Indian music composer...
. He then isolated himself from the art world almost entirely, and spent time raising his family.
Abolhassan Khan Sadighi died in 1995
Source
- Hadi Seyf, Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi; The Michelangelo of the East, (LINK); accessed March 2, 2007.
External links
- Dedicated Webpage, The Life and Arts of Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi, (http://www.sadighi.com);
- Iranian.com, The master, Paintings & sculptures of Abolhassan Khan Sadighi, (LINK); accessed March 2, 2007.