Hossein Behzad

Hossein Behzad was born in Tehran to an artistic pen-case craftsman and apprenticed from childhood in commercial miniature workshops, copying Safavid and Timurid masterpieces with astonishing technical fidelity. In 1934, he spent thirteen months in Paris studying at the Louvre, analyzing European masters from Leonardo da Vinci to Cézanne.

Behzad revolutionized classical Persian miniature painting by breaking with centuries-old flat perspectives. He introduced accurate human anatomical proportion, subtle chiaroscuro shading, and psychological drama while preserving the rhythmic grace and jewel-like delicacy of Persian line art. His fifty illustrations for the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam brought him international acclaim.