Iranian-Canadian artist Majid Eskandari paints expressive figurative paintings with an abstract perspective. Classically trained, he has since moved away from highly realistic depictions. Although his figures start from an initial idea and are at times referenced from photos of family members, they retain little of the subjects’ original features. Eskandari works with a loose hand, guided by the instincts of the moment, adding and subtracting elements until his inner voice commands him to stop. Influenced by the use of negative space in ancient oriental paintings, the artist lets the canvas air out with vast open spaces. This lends great visual impact to the work, harmonizing the background with the figures at the center of the compositions. Eskandari equates the process of painting to life itself: a long commute to an alluring vacation spot to be savored instant by instant. The journey is accompanied by “a lack of care for the passage of time, suffering, happiness, hope, hopelessness, fear, courage, and overall, the sensation of being alive and respecting that.”

Eskandari received a BFA in Painting from Tehran University of Art and a Diploma from Centennial College in Fine Art Studio, Toronto, Canada. He exhibited locally and internationally and was named Best-Selling Canadian Artist by Saatchi Art. Eskandari lives and works in Toronto.