Untitled (Trees series)

Part of Sepehri’s tree-trunk paintings of the 1970s, the canvas is filled with regular rows of trunks that incline gently to the right, with overlapping branches across the top. The palette of dark wood, tan and khaki evokes the dry landscape around his native Kashan, and the trunks are distinguished by subtle patterns and muted sandy passages. The painting shows the lasting influence of Far Eastern art, notably Chinese and Japanese, on his restrained, contemplative language.