Two+Lovers--+Riza+Abbasi

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Artwork Identification
Title: Two Lovers

Introduction
Safavid or "Persian" art was the "high point" ([|www.wikipedia.com]) of Middle Eastern art. It was highly influenced by the Chinese and Turken cultures, but also has characteristics in common with Western art. The art of this time included ceramics, architecture, weaving, metal working, calligraphy and paintings. The miniature painting, a relatively small but extremely detailed art form, was very significant during the Safavid period. In the 16th century Shah Abbas comissioned Riza Abbasi as his court artist. Abbasi was one of the most renowned of the Persian artists. He was a talented caligrapher and painter, but perhaps he was most well known for his miniature paintings and their universal ideas.

Descriptive Analysis
In this painting we see two young lovers in an embrace. The male figure is sitting on his knees with the female figure sitting on his lap in a very awkward pose. The painting looks realistic, but not naturalistic due to the uncomfortable stance of the female. The male's arms are wrapped around the female with his left hand inside of her slightly opened robe. The female's hands are above her head and lightly touching her lover's head while also holding a small sprig of flowers. Both figures have similar faces with very elongated eyes and eye brows and small pursed lips, the only difference is the male is a slightly darker hue. The bodies are also similar with protruding bellies and bottoms. The face and body types seem to be signature in other miniatures that Abbasi painted such as "Lady With a Fan." The male is wearing a green robe with a blue and gold sash and a blue scarf over his head. The female is wearing a brown robe with a gold sash and dark green scarf over her head. She also has a gold cape wrapped around her shoulders. The only jewelry being worn is a small chain on the female's ankle.

The lovers' background is a deep gold with lighter gold leaves and wispy palms with thin clouds above suggesting that the couple is outdoors. The gold background, leaves and palms are also very common of Abbasi's works. Sitting on the ground next to the couple is a plate with fruits or berries on it and surrounding it along with a small bottle of wine. On the left side, there is a short Arabic calligraphic writing. The painting is bordered with a darker brown color and gold.

The painting is small, just over 7x4 inches, which is not unusual considering that it is a miniature. It is made with tempera and gold on paper which makes the painting smooth to the touch. Tempera is a very light paint that dries quickly and can only be applied with very small brush strokes. This makes the painting process very slow moving, but makes the painting very detailed. Tempera is the oldest kind of paint, it was used from the time of the early Egyptians, but lost its appeal during the Renaissance. However, it is still used today by a number of artists.

Formal and Contextual Analysis
‍‍‍‍In much of Safavid art, women are typically shown separate from men, but several artists including Abbasi, saw things differently ‍‍‍‍.‍‍‍‍ They painted women with men and sometimes women by themselves to illustrate the ideals of poets that often wrote about love and the importance of women. The depictions of the two young lovers was and still is a universal concept in art.([|www.books.google.com]) Love stories and poetry have been around long before the romantic period of the Renaissance and this painting shows that even a culture that did not typically illustrate men and women together, still upheld these ideals. Abbasi made several "lovers" paintings such as //Youthful Lovers// ([|www.iranchamber.com]). //Youthful Lovers// also represents beautiful youths that are awaiting the faithful in paradise. ‍‍‍‍

The awkward and uncomfortable pose of the lovers is thought to be reflective of Abbasi's views on "discomfort with the constraints" ([|www.metmuseum.org]) of life at court. He preferred to be about and painting the common people, which showed the humility of humanity and was more in demand at the time.(Canby)

As mentioned above, the faces of the lovers were also a very common attribute of Persian art.(Canby) The faces of the figures were influenced by Chinese and Turken art which also depicts pale faces and elongated eyes and eye brows. During time spent away from court, Abbasi changed the appearance of his subjects by making their bodies appear more rounded. This change was influence by Western art of the same period. Detailed creases in the figures clothing are made to accentuate the curvature of the bodies and almost make them look calligraphic.([|www.art-arena.com])

The golden background and flowers are meant to represent paradise which was also an important ideal of poets and writers of the time. The clouds above are influenced by Chinese art which also use similar clouds in paintings. The almost colorless background contrasts with the very colorful figures which shows the importance of the human figure over nature.([|www.art-arena.com] ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍It is also theorized by several organizations that the two figures are both male. This goes along with the appreciating of the beauty and charms of youth and stories of gay love that were highly regarded during the period (although highly censored and criticized by Islamic clergy). ([|khalelian.blogspot.com]) The painting to the left is also thought to be a depiction of gay love showing the Shah Abbas (Abbasi's patron) in a loving embrace with his wine boy. ‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍