Reza Abbasi
Agha Reza Reza-e Abbasi was the most renowned
Persian miniaturist,
painter and
calligrapher of the Isfahan School, which flourished during the
Safavid period under the patronage of
Shah Abbas I.
Encyclopedia
Agha
Reza Reza-e Abbasi was the most renowned
Persian miniaturist,
painter and
calligrapher of the Isfahan School, which flourished during the
Safavid period under the patronage of
Shah Abbas I.
Life
He is considered to be one of the foremost Persian painters of all time. He received his training in the atelier of his father, Ali Asghar, and was received into the workshop of
Shah Abbas I at a young age.
At the age of about 38 he received the honorific title of
Abbasi from his patron, but soon left the Shah's employ, apparently seeking greater freedom to associate with simple people. In 1610 he returned to the court and continued in the employ of the Shah until his death.
Art
His specialty was the
Persian miniature, with a preference for naturalistic subjects often portrayed in an effeminate and impressionistic manner, a style which came to be popular during the late Safavid court.
Many of his works depict handsome youths, often in the role of
saqi, or "wine pourer," who at times are the focus of the admiring gaze of an older man and according to Louis Crompton, a manifestation of the Persian tradition of "appreciating youthful male beauty" .
Today his works can be found in the museum that bears his name in Tehran, as well as in many of the major museums of the
West, such as the
Smithsonian, the
Louvre and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
References
- Louis Crompton. Homosexuality and Civilization. Belknap, Harvard, 2003. ISBN 0-674-01197-X
External links
