Biography
Biography
By: Homa Arjangi, Azar Rabii, and Fereydoon Rabii (2004)
The Arjangi Family
Background
Mir Heydar, an ancestor of Rassam and oldest documented member of the Arjangi family, was a well-known artist and calligrapher of the 15th century who lived in Azarbaijan. During the reign of Tamarlane, Mir Heydar, along with many other artists and artisans were moved to Samarkand which was the cultural center of the empire at the time. Mir Heydar, however, returned home to Azarbaijan soon after Tamarlane's death.
Mir Heydar had three sons, the youngest of which, Meerak, was sent to study the art of painting under Mir Seyyed Ahmad, the famous painter of that era. After a period of apprenticeship under the master, Meerak along with Kamal-el-Din Behzad, another talented pupil of master Mir Seyyed Ahmad, moved to Harat, the cultural heart of the period. While in Harat, Meerak produced one of his well-regarded manuscripts, a historical account of the Tamarlandic campaign titled Tamarlane's Conquest.
All four of Meerak's sons were talented artists in their own rights in the fields of painting, sculpture, calligraphy, and poetry. Mohammad Ali Mir one of the four sons of Meerak, had three sons of his own: Mohsen, Mehdi, and Ebrahim.
Mohsen was a poet and painter known as Agha Mir Golestan Tabrizi. A book of his poems titled: Meraat-el-Boka was published in Tabriz in the 18th century.
Iranian Statesman
Black Ink
14 cm x 20 cm
by Mohsen
Watercolor
6.5 cm x 8.5 cm
by Mohsen
Ebrahim, Mohsen's brother, was one of the first Iranian artists to master the art of painting in the European style. He was educated in Moscow and Tbilisi and was fluent in Russian and French.
Ebrahim, who was a master in watercolor and oil painting, and occasionally would modulate bantering poems. He earned the designation of "Royal Painter" in Crown Prince Mozaffar el Din Shah's court.
Agha Ebrahim
Watercolor
by Ebrahim
Two of Ebrahim's sons, Hossein, known as Mir Mossaver, and Abbas known as Rassam followed their father's profession and became leading artists of their time. Around this time, as part of the modernization of the country, Iranians were asked to choose a "family name" for identification. The two brothers inspired by Arjang, the pictorial book of Manee, a prophet of the Sassanid era, chose Arjangi as their last name.
Rassam and Mir Mossaver
Modern Era
Mir Mossaver by Rassam Oil Paint
Hossein Mir Mossaver Arjangi (1881-1963) was the eldest son of Ebrahim and like his father studied art in Russia and became a master in painting, carpet design, and sculpture. He was also known for his poetic witticisms. He created numerous works of art among which several are recognized as masterpieces of the time such as the large historical paintings Shapoor and Valerian, Nader Shah, Ferdowsi, and Amir Kabir, and the design for the famous carpet of Four Seasons.
Abbas Rassam Arjangi, (1892 - 1975) was born in Tabriz and like his father and brother studied art in Russia. He attended Academies of Art in Moscow, Baku and Tbilisi, specializing in painting and sculpture. Rassam became a pioneer in the effort to combine academic European techniques with the traditional Iranian style of painting and manuscript illustration.
Rassam's repertoire of works of art spans an astonishingly wide range: from large oil paintings and portraits to fine miniatures, from gildings and manuscript illustrations to large sculptures, and from carpet designs to caricatures. He has also created illustrations for children's books, produced instructional materials for young students, and published poetry, novels and plays. In all, Rassam, one of the most productive Iranian artists of the modern era has produced more than 2,000 works of art.
Rassam Arjangi
Persian Dancer
Water Color by Rassam
37.5 cm x 47 cm
Amir Kabir
Water Color by Rassam
37.5 cm x 47 cm
Among his most famous works are the following paintings: Nader's Conquest of India, Battle of Yaghoub with the Caliph's Army, Cyrus the Great, Bahram Goor, Ferdowsi, Battle of Rustam and Sohrab, and Saggha (the Water Carrier). He has also produced many portraits of famous Iranian leaders and cultural and literary figures.
In 1930 a collection of seventeen pieces of Rassam miniatures were chosen as the gold medal winner in a major exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium.
Carpet design by Rassam
Saggah (The Water Carrier)
Oil on Canvas by Rassam
Nader Shah
Oil on Canvas by Rassam
Miniature Rubaiyat Omar Khayyam
Later in response to Professor Eugene Smith he made beautiful miniatures for his well-known book of Rubaiyat, his translation of Omar Khayyam's celebrated masterpiece.
Rassam's son Farhad Arjangi (1939-1961) was a well-known musician in the field of traditional (classical) Iranian music. Farhad started his musical training at the tender age of seven learning "tar" under the tutelage of the famous maestro Ali Akbar Khan Shahnazi. When he was eighteen, Farhad was appointed a "Master" in the Iranian Fine Arts Institute while at the same time he was selected as the youngest conductor of the Traditional Iranian Music Orchestra. In addition, he collaborated with the Iranian Fine Arts Orchestra as a composer and soloist.
Farhad Arjangi
Water Color by Farhad Arjangi
23cm x 25cm
Among the singular contributions of Farhad to traditional Persian music was his creation of Western style musical sheets, with standard musical notations, for several traditional works including 23 memorable pieces for "tar".
Farhad made several trips to neighboring countries to bring them traditional Persian music. During these trips Farhad also looked for musical instruments of other cultures, and it was that spirit that led him to bring back from his trip to Afghanistan the "robab", an old Persian string instrument that had been almost forgotten in Iran and re-introduced it to the Iranian musical community.
Farhad was also an excellent painter and has left several fine works of painting behind.
Homa Arjangi
Rassam's youngest daughter Homa Arjangi is counted among the most gifted of contemporary Iranian women artists. She has published two books of mainly patriotic and Gnostic (Erphani) poems: Parvaz-e-Asheghan (The Ascension of Lovers) and Gol-e-Hezar-Par (One Thousand Petalled Lotus). Her poems are regularly published in various literary journals and magazines both in Iran and abroad.
Homa has spent a great deal of time studying the teaching of Vipasana and her two books, translation of those teachings into Farsi, are scheduled for publication in the near future. Homa is also an accomplished singer.
Other daughters of Rassam, Irandokht, Pouran, Mahin, Pari and Azar is each a pioneer in her own field among women. Pouran and Pari are also talented in painting.
Rose
Water Color by Pari
Azar
Water Color by Pouran
Keyvan Kabiri another grandson of Rassam and son of Homa is a very talented and promising musician with mastery of Tar and Piano.
Keyvan Kabiri
Gallery of Paintings by Rassam Arjangi
Gallery of Paintings by Mir Mossaver Arjangi