Mohsen Soheyli, a direct, eminent student of Kamal-ol-Molk, is exhibiting his technical capabilities in this work. Possessing technical skills, Soheyli is displaying his aesthetic perspectives on landscape painting, which is an achievement of the Naturalist movement in Iranian painting. This landscape painting was closely connected to the 19th century Romantic Naturalist paintings of France that became famous during Romantic-Naturalist movements, such as the Barbizon School. Soheyli is avoiding theatrical, idealistic imitation of Romantic landscapes as much as he is dissociating himself with academic, classic traditions that used landscape paintings just as background for historical stories. In fact, Soheyli can be considered one of the most important students of Kamal-ol-Molk in creating perspective.
Mohsen Soheyli Khansari, the son of Mirza Mahmoud Khan, was born to a culturally-refined family in Tehran. He is the elder brother of Ahmad Soheyli Khansari, a well-known researcher, poet, and proof-reader who is the author of a major book, titled Maturity of Art, on the life and career of Kamal-ol-Molk. Graduating from Alliance School, Mohsen Soheyli attended the School of Fine Arts to learn painting from Kamal-ol-Molk, receiving a diploma after three years. He met Hossein Sheykh and many painters of the school during this time and, in the first summer after attending the school, held an exhibition along with other students at the large workshop where teachers worked, and succeeded in selling his work for the first time. Producing still life and landscape paintings, Soheyli gradually gained recognition and was able to sell a majority of his works during a solo exhibition at the same workshop. It was said that he traveled to Vienna for a while to study arts and replicate work of western artists. Painting of natural landscapes and mountains, like the present picture, was the favorite genre of Soheyli. When he graduated from the School of Fine Arts, Soheyli set up a workshop in Tehran and began working seriously.
With regard to the importance of Soheyli among followers of Kamal-ol-Molk, we must note that he was among the acknowledged students of his master. Upon establishment of the School of Fine Arts in the southern end of Negarestan Garden with the help of Kamal-ol-Molk, the school embraced two groups of students willing to study arts. The first group included official students of the school who would receive an official diploma of the school after consecutive years of study; the second group included unofficial students who studied a shorter period.
Mohsen Soheyli was among the first group who, as an official student, studied at the school for a long time. In a majority of photographs of the students of School of Fine Arts posing along with Kamal-ol-Molk, Soheyli is also present in the pictures. A report concerning activities of students of the school, from the beginning to the end, says, “Mohsen Soheyli Khansari practiced landscape and portrait painting, and today, he is a well-known master.”[1] The report, considered an important historic document, refers to technical capabilities of Soheyli as well as his reputation during the early 1930s. Generally speaking, Soheyli’s best works include still life, landscape and portrait painting. Nevertheless, he is one of the traditional artists who tried to somehow free himself from bonds of Classicism.
[1] Soheyli Khansari, Ahmad, Maturity of Art, Elmi Publishing, 1989, p.82
