Omar Khayyam 1957

Hossein Behzad made this miniature of Omar Khayyam sometime before 1968, with very fine brushes. He used earthy colors, reds and browns, to create a drowsy atmosphere around this sleeping figure. I love the idea of Behzad hunched over this thing, paying so much attention to detail, like the way the leaves turn every which way on the branches behind the figure. And the mountains in the background: how long did it take him to paint those tiny lines, one by one? When I look at this picture, I think Behzad wanted us to see the world of poetry and contemplation. He might have wanted to make something that felt quiet and eternal. All painters have influences, and no one makes anything in isolation. Painting is a conversation and an exchange, an endless chain of inspiration!