Riza‑yi ‘Abbasi
Riza‑yi ‘Abbasi was an Iranian artist who lived from 1565 to 1635. He was one of the leading Persian miniaturist artists from the Isfahan School of art, in modern day Iran. Riza developed a style that utilized heavy calligraphic lines, bright colors, and a monotone background. He had a great impact on the Persian miniature art form. The Isfahan School helped to support the intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and academic growth that was spurred on by the Safavid Dynasty.
Riza was born as Aqa Risa in northern Iran. He was likely trained as a miniaturist by his father in the workshop of Shāh Abbas I. Persian miniatures are small-scale works of art that were either book illustrations or standalone illustrations. They were often bound within albums called muraqqas. Miniatures were immensely popular at this time.
Riza was extremely talented from an early age. He was known for his single figure miniature works, and especially those which depicted young and beautiful people. His subjects were often well-dressed. Riza depicted, in fine detail, the fashions and textiles of his day. At this point in Riza’s career, his color palette was considerably bright. Luckily for us, Riza usually signed and dated his work. This was quite unusual at the time and is extremely helpful for art historians today. Riza spent most of his career working for Shāh Abbas I, who is considered the greatest Shāh of Iran during the Safavid dynasty. He received the respectable title of Abbasi from the Shāh in 1603 and was his favorite artist.
Soon after receiving the title, Riza left the Shāh’s service in what has been referred to as a ‘mid-life crisis’ to be free to mingle with less respectable people, such as wrestlers and other performers. During this time, Riza drew miniatures for money, marketing his work in a street stall. He returned to the king’s service about ten years later. By the time of his return, Riza’s work had changed. His color palette was more earthy. He also broadened his repertoire of subjects to include older prestigious men as well as birds. Riza remained in the service of the Shāh until his death in 1635. He was 70 years old.
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