Davood Zandian, the Iranian-Norwegian contemporary painter was born in 1953 in Tehran. He learned painting as young as ten, with coffee-house traditional painting masters. In the following years, he turned it into his main profession and, by the end of the 1970s, had become proficient in various genres including traditional Iranian religious painting. His enthusiasm for experimentations in the field of image-making led him to a few cinematic experiences as well. He immigrated to Norway in 1986, but the subject of his paintings in recent years has remained largely related to Iran. Zandian has been a professional, ceaseless painter for many years, and his remarkable ability in painterly expression effectively influences his audience.
Davood Zandian’s painting style is in step with a global mode of contemporary painting: expressiveness in drawing and colour, narrative attitude, a rejection of traditional standards of composition and design, juxtaposition of various picture planes and perspectives, and a refusal of idealizing the image. These are maintained through various styles and methods he experienced throughout his career, including a background in examining coffee-house painting, Safavid miniature, Russian realist painting, Odd Nerdrum’s apocalyptic scenes, and the artist’s experience of filmmaking.
Davood Zandian is a member of The Association of Norwegian Visual Artists (NBK), and the National Association of Norwegian Painters (LNM).