The Leaf, 2000

Iran Issa-Khan  

The Leaf by Iran Issa-Khan Black and white archival pigment print Image size: 19 in. H x 23 in. W Frame size: 36 in. H x 40 in. W. 

This artwork features an exquisite black and white photograph capturing the intricate beauty of a leaf. The image centers on the dynamic interplay of light and shadow, accentuating the leaf's textured veins and elegant curves. The stark contrast between the white highlights and deep shadows creates a sense of depth and movement, drawing the viewer into the natural symmetry of the subject. Unique in its use of monochrome, the photograph strips the leaf of its color, allowing the focus to remain on form and structure. The composition is both minimalistic and dramatic, highlighting the natural artistry found within everyday elements. This piece exemplifies the transformative power of photography in revealing unseen details and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. The overall presentation, with its clean white matting and border, further enhances the image, inviting viewers to contemplate and appreciate the subtle complexities of the natural world.

 Born in Tehran and raised in Europe and the United States, Iran, Issa-Khan began her photography career in the late 1970s studying with William Minor, Jr. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Issa-Khan photographed Paulina Porizkova, Christy Turlington, Iman, Andie Mac Dowell, Debbie Dickinson Talisa Soto, and other supermodels whose images have appeared on the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and in numerous editorials and advertising campaigns in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Her portrait retrospective includes designers and their families such as Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, the Ferragamo family, the Fendi family, Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera, and Paloma Picasso. Issa-Khan also photographed Ms. Picasso’s international advertising campaigns. She photographed Nancy Reagan at the White House as well as The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace, President and Mrs. Pastrana of Colombia, Baron David and Baroness Olympia de Rothschild in Paris, and Rufino Tamayo in Mexico. In 1999, Issa-Khan transitioned from photographing beautiful people and celebrities to flowers and objects of nature. Her new photographic work has captured the sensuality of flowers, tropical plants, seashells, and numerous flora and fauna objects, immediately translating their natural beauty into sensuous art forms. Her recent images are reminiscent of the works of Georgia O‘Keeffe, Tina Modotti, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Through her photographs, Iran Issa-Khan shares their intense admiration and daringly close-up confrontation with intimate detail. She invites us to share her vision in a quiet space where one loses themselves to the sensuality of creation.