Yearning to be caressed 

Editor: "Yearning to be Caressed" by Mahmoud Farshchian is incredibly ornate. It feels like stepping into a dream. What draws your eye, what do you see in this painting? Curator: It's evocative, isn’t it? Farshchian, firmly situated within the tradition of Persian miniature painting, uses the visual language of idealized beauty to speak to deeper issues of societal longing and the yearning for harmony. The woman and deer embody a connection with nature, one that has been consistently disrupted by oppressive patriarchal structures in Iranian society. Consider the use of birds – traditionally symbols of freedom – almost as protest rising through the trees. Does that read as hopeful to you or more cautionary? Editor: I can see how that reads as hopeful and cautionary now that you mention that. The composition seemed just fantastical at first glance. Are you saying it could be a visual response to societal constraints, perhaps relating to gender and expression? Curator: Precisely. Farshchian challenges us to question who is allowed freedom, in Iranian culture and beyond, and at what cost? Where do you see further visual metaphors at play? Think about the colour choices. Editor: The dominance of gold makes me consider wealth. I initially took it at face value as simply "pretty", but your perspective encourages looking more critically at what it might represent in a culture that suppresses individual freedoms, the aspiration and the lack of fulfillment in material things... Thanks, I definitely see more in it now! Curator: And hopefully, it empowers you to examine visual art more closely in the context of broader cultural narratives!