BOB PEJMAN
Born in 1962, Pejman was surrounded by art and
culture from an early age. The son of an operatic composer and a concert
musician, he spent his early childhood in Vienna, and then by
way of England and Iran moved to the Untied States in 2976.
Pejman began painting by
the age of seven, and by the time he was sixteen he had won numerous awards
in group exhibitions. However, despite his art instructor’s insistence for
him to pursue and education and career in art, Pejman decided to enter the
field of business management. It was not until 1988 when Pejman decided to
return to the art world by opening up an art gallery. As a result of his
direct exposure to fine art and contact with European masters he decided to
start painting again. In 1991 he began his two year formal studies with the
world renowned Russian artist, Anatoly Ivanov. Later he attended the
prestigious New York Art Students League as well as furthering his studies
with the Impressionist master Ovanes Berberian. Among his art instructors,
Ivanov influenced Pejman the most by inspiring him to use the techniques of
old masters such as Michelangelo and Rafael. Employing these almost
forgotten techniques, Pejman skillfully blends impressionistic colors and
techniques to achieve a classical but yet contemporary style.
Pejman’s style is
influenced by such artists as Sir Alma-Tadema, Thomas Cole, and Maxfield
Parrish. All of them sharing the attributes of technical mastery, form, and
perspective. While the influence of these masters is evident in Pejman’s
works, it is through his unique arrangement and depiction distinctive sytle.
One can classify his style as romantic realism, which he interestingly
enough achieves by portraying beauty and solitude.
In his works, Pejman
creates idyllic, tranquil worlds. “There are no pople in my paintings, so
you can imagine yourself in the scenes”, explains the artist. “the scenes
are already romantic, but my idea is to make them even more so.”. in doing
so, he pushes the colors to make them more intense and exaggerates the
sunlight. “I don’t simplify the shapes. You get into the cracks and feel the
structures and the stones”, he says, considering them to be marks of
cultivated wisdom rather than declination. There is romance in history, and
Pejman reminds the viewer of classic beauty and emotions that transcend
time, all inherent to such places as the Mediterranean.
Since his first one-man
exhibition in 1993, Pejman has received national and international
attention. His works were chosen to be made into jacquard loom tapestries in
France and distributed through Design Toscano in Chicago.
Wall size murals are published by ScanDecor in Sweden, and ModernArt
Editions in New York is publishing a series of graphics. Pejman’s works can
be found in many prestigious galleries and corporate and private collections
through out the world.
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