Portrait of Shamlou (Iranian Poet) 

Curator: Welcome. Before us, we have Hannibal Alkhas's striking ink drawing, "Portrait of Shamlou," depicting the renowned Iranian poet. Editor: He looks burdened, doesn’t he? A web of lines etches the face, the hand heavy on the brow...almost like thought itself weighs too much. There's a stark honesty in the mark-making. Curator: Indeed. Notice how Alkhas employs hatching and cross-hatching, primarily, to suggest form and volume, creating a powerful study in contrasts. The restraint in line is key; negative space plays an essential role. Editor: Absolutely, that blank space isn’t empty—it breathes. It suggests absence, maybe echoing Shamlou's own sense of exile or the loss inherent in poetry itself. You can almost see his next line hanging in that quietness. Curator: Furthermore, the seemingly unfinished nature contributes to the raw emotionality. This incompleteness, dare I say, is integral to the aesthetic effect—it engages the viewer’s imagination to fill in the emotional landscape. Editor: And those glasses… the sharp definition of the lenses against the blurry expression in the eyes behind them, such an acute detail! It suggests the clarity and distortion inherent in looking, writing, remembering. Curator: Note the interplay of dark and light. Where intense cross-hatching constructs areas of shadow, a few deft lines define the lighter aspects of Shamlou’s face, like an unfolding dialectic. The shadow seems like another character of the portrait. Editor: Right! It's like the darkness is reaching for him, but he still has this bright edge about his gaze, holding it back with pure creative will, just about. What do you make of it as a modern rendering of traditional portraiture? Curator: Modern certainly. While rooted in the practice of figuration, this portrait is undeniably infused with the abstraction prevalent in post-war modernism, specifically in Alkhas’s artistic milieu. Editor: Yes, precisely, it’s as if we can sense that world in the stark and soulful interpretation… Well, what a journey to take while just looking at a man's face. Curator: Indeed. A testimony to Alkhas's skillful execution and ability to capture depth. Thank you.