John H. Mazaheri

In the past few years I have mostly painted oil on canvas and have done drawings with pen, ink, and watercolor. I have always loved and practised abstraction, but sometimes my work does not seem truly abstract, probably because the inspiration comes from nature. I love indeed the sky, the horizon, deserts, mountains..., but my intention is not to represent them in a conscious way. I just want to express my feelings and sensations through form and color. Art, to me, is a spiritual quest. One may call my works abstract landscapes, or lyrical abstraction. In my view, music is the model for every art, including poetry and visual arts. “De la musique avant toute chose,” Verlaine wrote in defining poetry. The essence of art is always abstract, whether this art is representational or not. I must also admit that without harmony and beauty, art loses its meaning to me. Obviously the latter terms are purely subjective and relative. My painting can be happy or sad, like my days. I do not seek to please others but to express myself. If some people share the same sensations, they may appreciate my work, and that will make me happy, of course. But if they don’t, it is o.k. too.  

 

I did my high school in Paris and studied art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Paris) from 1970 to 1976. I graduated with a degree in printmaking (equivalent MFA). I taught this art at the College of Decorative Arts in Tehran and French at the Institut Français de Téhéran for several years, then I moved to the United States with my family in 1984, after having earned a Master’s degree in French literature from Aix-en-Provence, France. I taught French at the University of Massachusetts/Boston and at Clark University in Worcester, MA. I got my Ph.D. in French from Brown University in 1989. I have taught  at Auburn University in Alabama since then.

 

Selected Recent Juried/Group/Solo Shows

 

2008-2010: Grandview Gallery, AAC, Atlanta, GA (several times)

2008: Auburn Arts Association, Auburn, AL.

2009: Biggin Gallery, Auburn University, Alabama

2009: Space 301, Mobile, AL.

2009: Arta Gallery, Toronto, ON

2009 Dudley Gallery, Auburn University, Auburn, AL (Solo)

2009 Buckhead Library Gallery, Atlanta, GA (Solo)

2010: The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, N.J. (24^th International Juried Show)  

2010: Space 301, Mobile, AL.