Footnotes

Provenance:
Property from a private collection, California

Published:
Aria Gallery and Ab/Anbar, Morad Montazami, Bahman Mohassess In 60 Pieces of a Lost Body, Tehran, 2015, p.26

Exhibited:
Aria Gallery and Ab/Anbar, Bahman Mohassess In 60 Pieces of a Lost Body, Tehran, 2015

"The fragments of heads and bodies are like non-humanistic answers to the existentialist condition and crisis of mankind in the aftermath of World War II. They are emblems of the Artists desire to represent the condemnation of the being, a being reduced to a corporeal assemblage, or more exactly as Iranian would call it, the "Handless and Footless" (Bi dast-o pa)"
– Morad Montazami, commenting on the present painting, Bahman Mohasses in 60 Pieces of a Lost Body, 2015

This work, titled Personnage and executed in 1966, was featured in Bahman Mohassess' major Iranian retrospective in 2015: Bahman Mohasses in 60 Pieces of a Lost Body. Against a striking green and black background, the central figure appears as an enigmatic blend of alien, human, and surreal qualities. The figure's duality—at once ghoulish yet oddly sweet, reminiscent of an animal-like creature—imbues it with a curious charm. Its features strike a delicate balance between being haunting and endearing, a characteristic signature of Mohassess' surrealistic and introspective style.

The figure's form slightly echoes that of a mannequin or sculpture model, perhaps suggesting an exploration of identity as a vessel for either the viewer's or artist's projections. The anonymity of the subject, with its blank, emotionless face, invites viewers to fill the void with their own interpretations. This subtle commentary on the void of personality and self in modern society hints at Mohassess' broader themes of alienation, anonymity, and existential contemplation.

Mohassess' Personnage is a study in contrasts: the figure's distorted proportions, with elongated limbs and minimalistic features, contrast with its animated, almost playful aura. Despite its eerie appearance, there is something whimsical in the figure's pose and demeanor, creating a dialogue between the unsettling and the familiar. The dark tones of the background, paired with the figure's simplified form, evoke a surreal stage on which this ambiguous character plays out its silent performance, caught in a moment between expression and stillness.

The theatrical quality of the work, with its strong lighting and dramatic contrasts, recalls the metaphysical compositions of De Chirico, a clear influence on Mohassess during his years in Italy. Like De Chirico's figures, this Personnage stands as a metaphor for the human condition—rooted in existentialism and a reflection of the artist's contemplation of selfhood in a complex, ever-changing world.

Executed during a pivotal moment in Mohassess' career, this piece is an important example of his distinctive blending of the human and the surreal. The figure's haunting yet charming presence is emblematic of Mohassess' broader artistic vision, where reality and fiction intertwine, and where every character serves as both a reflection of the artist's own introspection and an invitation for viewers to explore their own.