TEHRAN – Iranian calligrapher and typographer Ali Minaei-Fard has created a portrait of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, using the leader’s poetry, aiming to showcase both the sorrow of his loss and the grandeur of his character through a fusion of calligraphy and imagery.

Minaei-Fard is one of the artists who has been creating visual art related to the martyred leader at Valiasr Square in Tehran. He has inscribed his work with the poetry of the Martyr Leader, blending graphic design and calligraphy to create his likeness. The piece, measuring two by one-and-a-half meters, was executed on canvas using a combination of Nastaliq and traditional scripts, Mehr reported.

Regarding the inspiration behind this work, the artist explained: “My primary motivation to continue this path was the late Leader himself. Previously, at the time of the martyrdom of Hajj Qasem Soleimani and the passing of President Raisi, I had created similar works. The Leader had seen those pieces and was kind enough to acknowledge them. In one of our meetings, he asked me to explain the works and paid close attention to the details as I spoke about them. He remarked that the content, the execution, and the selection of the texts were all excellent. That very attention encouraged me to pursue this path more seriously.”

Commenting on the characteristics of this latest piece, Minaei-Fard said: “The work I have created now is drawn from the poems of our Martyr leader—poems published over various years. I have used Nastaliq and Shekasteh scripts to form the image of his face. Essentially, the audience is confronted with calligraphy and a portrait simultaneously.”

Regarding the public’s reaction to this style of art, he noted: “People have rarely encountered such works. They have seen calligraphy, and they have seen painting, but the fusion of these two arts and the transformation of calligraphic lines into a human face is very fresh and engaging for them. In an era where most works are leaning toward artificial intelligence and computer-generated graphics, seeing a piece that is entirely handmade holds a special appeal for the public.”

SS/