Shirin and Farhad 1961

This is Hossein Behzad's "Shirin and Farhad", and it was likely made with watercolors or gouache, given its jewel-like quality and precision. The colors are vibrant, like something from a dream. It’s all about this flowing, lyrical line—the kind that makes you think about the act of drawing, of storytelling. Look closely, and you’ll notice how the paint seems almost suspended on the surface. It’s thin, translucent in areas, allowing light to bounce off the paper. Then there's this incredible tension between detail and simplification. Check out the rocks on the left. They’re rendered with such care, each crag and crevice defined by delicate brushstrokes. Then, zoom out, and it’s almost abstract. It reminds me a bit of Matisse, in the way he was also obsessed with decorative patterning and flattened space, but with a Persian flavor all its own. It’s like a conversation across time and cultures, isn’t it? Like art itself, a never-ending story.