Mahmoud Farshchian, Master of the Modern Persian Miniature Painting
Mahmoud Farshchian Biography and Art Review
Art Review by Ahreeman X
Mahmoud Farshchian
FarshchianArt@msn.com
December 19, 2007

L. Master Mahmoud Farshchian
R. Persian Miniature Painting by Farshchian

Farshchian in the IPC Spotlight

IPC Spotlight is reserved for the Iranian Masters, each, the best of their fields. It is time to show our appreciation for the Persian art, by conducting a tribute to "The Master"! Mahmoud Farshchian is The Master of the Modern Persian Miniature Painting.

Hafez

I had purchased my first Farshchian series, about 15 years ago. Since then, I have been collecting a number of his masterpieces. Farshchian is a free man and he does not hesitate to get political. He is a humanitarian artist and activist. One of my favorite pieces from him is "What Price for Freedom!"

What Price for Freedom!

Persian Miniature Painting, is our major national style of art. When it comes to modern miniature painting, Master Farshchian is a mile ahead of the rest of the Persian artists. The man is simply a born visionary and a great artist.

Farshchian Art

Master Farshchian's art is based on Persian Classical Poetry from great masters such as Hafez, Rumi, Ferdowsi and indeed Khayyam. Farshchian is very much in to Persian Mysticism.

Master Farshchian, has created a unique style of his own. He has his own school of painting. His theme is classical Persian poetry; however, he mixes and portrays various human emotions, moods, feelings and desires in his art. His final touch is his wild imagination! So basically mix some Persian Poetry with the Human Emotions and Mahmoud's Wild Imagination and you will end up getting a Farshchian Masterpiece!

In the process of painting a piece, Mahmoud reads Persian Classical Poetry and listens to Persian Classical and Traditional Music. It is an inspirational thing! The above, helps him to create his detailed and magnificent wire-thin brush paintings.

Farshchian's art, makes us to ponder and search deep in to our souls. His art makes us to get in touch with our inner selves and the human within our shell. Farshchian is simply a storyteller. His stories are drawn on canvas with his unique style of Persian Sur-Naturalism.

Painting by a student of Master Farshchian

Farshchian has a talent of bringing the Persian classical painting, the Persian classical poetry, the Persian symbiotic relationships, and the modern art, together. His work is a combination of the Persian traditional and the modern art.

One of his greatest works is the "Shams and Rumi" artwork. This work is about the relationship between The Master (Shams Tabrizi) and the Student (Jalal-edin Moulana Rumi), both great Persian poets. This work took two months to complete in the US and was primarily unveiled on August 2, 2007 at the Farshchian Art and Cultural Complex in Esfahan.

Farshchian Biography

Mahmoud Farshchian was born in the great city of architecture, art and love, Esfahan. Mahmoud was born on January 24, 1930. They say Esfahan is "Half of the World", so if you have not seen Esfahan, then you have not seen half of the world! Since age 5, he was painting away on everything, which he could get his hands on! Mahmoud's father was a respectable Persian Carpet merchant in Esfahan. Mahmoud's father was one of the causes for his artistic curiosity and interest. Father had always encouraged his son about his art. Since the early age, he was interested in the patterns of the Persian Carpets, specifically the portraits and painting faced Persian Carpets. Later on in life, a number of his works were copied to the face of the Persian carpets. These carpets are highly valuable.

The young Mahmoud continued his interest in art in the early age. He was a student to many great masters such as Haj Mirza Aqa Emami and Isa Bahadori. Mahmoud graduated from Esfahan's Academy of Fine Arts. Then he left for Europe, where he studied the works of the great Western masters of painting and art.

Painting by a student of Master Farshchian

Once back from Europe, Mahmoud worked in the National Institute of the Fine Arts (later the Ministry of Culture and Art). During this period, he held various positions such as the:

Administrator of the Department of National Arts
Director of the Department of National Arts
Art Professor of the University of Tehran's School of Fine Arts
Etc.

Painting by a student of Master Farshchian

A great number of his masterpieces were created during this period. Next, he moved to United States of America. Even though he had brought a great number of his masterpieces to America, yet he also had created a great number of masterpieces in the America. Master Farshchian had also received an honorary doctorate in the fine arts.

His works have been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum, Harvard University, The British Library, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Freer Gallery of Art and many more distinguished art academies, schools, museums, establishments and galleries.

Farshchian, The Museum

Master Farshchian is well recognized by the Iranian High Council of the Culture and Art. In Iran, a museum is devoted to his work: "The Museum of Master Mahmoud Farshchian." This museum has been set up by the Cultural Heritage Foundation in the Sa'dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran, Iran. The museum was inaugurated in 2001.

Master Farshchian is currently residing and working in the East Coast United States (New York-New Jersey area).

Farshchian, The Global Artist

Today, Farshchian does not only belong to Iran, but he is a global artist. Farshchian had traveled the globe, studied, taught and worked with various global artists and left us a rich legacy of artwork. He is a humanitarian artist and activist. About his famous work "Brotherhood", Mahmoud states: "I painted Brotherhood while living in New Jersey at the beginning of the civil rights movement." Later on Mahmoud had submitted the "Brotherhood" design for a series of "Anti Racist T-shirts.

Brotherhood (Anti Racism)

Contact Mahmoud Farshchian

FarshchianArt@msn.com

For more information, please visit:

Mahmoud Farshchian Online Art Gallery 1

Mahmoud Farshchian Online Art Gallery 2

Mahmoud Farshchian Index

Mahmoud Farshchian Site

IPC Art and Literature

IPC Poetry

Master Mahmoud Farshchian is simply one of Iran's greatest Persian Miniature painters, creator of his own unique style and school of Persian Miniatures, and practically the father of the "Modern Persian Miniature Painting." I am a solid collector of his art and a great fan. I salute Master Mahmoud Farshchian. Thank you for everything which you have done for the Persian Miniature Painting and art.

Dr. X