Kamad al-Din Bihzad

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The Persian painter Kamal al-Din Bihzad was known as "the wonder of the age" (Roxburgh, Persian 179). Not much known about his life, but still Bizhad is considered one of the two greatest Persian painters of all time, second only to the legndary Mani (Bahari 16). He was called by court chroniclers of the Safavids, Ottomans, and Mughals the "Unique One of the Age" or "Master of the Age." These kinds of titles were not something royal writers of the three greatest powers of sixteenth-century Islamic Asia bestowed lightly. (Barry133) Why is Bihzad so highly praised? What properties of his work make his paintings so appealing? What characteristics of his style and techniques raise Bihzad above all other Persian painters?
There are four distinct categories of Bihzads work including: portraitts or events from life, depiction of historical events (with imaginative interpretations), book illustrations, and double page illustrations of imaginary scenes. (Bahari 47) The two masters that had the most influence on his art were Amir Ruhallah Mirak Khurasani, who wove fine detail and illumination in his work, and Mawlana Wali Allah whose style was very expressive with delicate brushwork. (Roxburgh, Persian 45) Mirak was Bihzad's adoptive father and teacher (Roxburgh, Persian 222). It is only fitting that such a relationship would have the egreatest impact on Bhizad's art. Two Antelopes and Two Lynx (fig. 1) is great evidence of the influence Wali had on Bihzad. The twisty tree is basically a copy of a tree from a previous work by Wali (Bahari 54). Bihzad grew up during the mid-fifteenth-century conflict fought between rival princes over the empire of Shah Rukh. Some scholars believe Bihzad's work often reflects the violence he saw. (Barry...

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