Farshid Mesghali
“The Embodiment of a Century” – One Hundred Years of Visual Arts in Iran
(Part Eleven)
Image Source:
A Selection of Farshid Mesghali’s Graphic Works, Mahriz Publications, 2000
Farshid Mesghali, Contemporary Graphic Designers of Iran, Yesavoli Publications, 2007
Writer and Director: Amir Soghrati
Research Assistant: Najwa Erfani
Motion Graphics: Masoud Talebani
Text Narrator: Amir Soghrati
Logo Design: Mohammad Fadaei
Editing: Mojtaba Fallahi
Project Manager: Harf-e Honar Studio
Producer: Institute for the Development of Contemporary Visual Arts
Supported by the General Directorate of Visual Arts, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Islamic Republic of Iran
Farshid Mesghali, an illustrator, designer, animator, graphic designer, sculptor, and photographer, was born on July 13, 1943, in Isfahan, Iran. After graduating from high school in 1960, he moved to Tehran and passed the entrance exam for the School of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, majoring in painting. He studied under Ali Mohammad Heydarian, Mahmoud Javadi Pour, and Javad Hamidi.
In 1964, Farshid Mesghali began working as an illustrator and graphic designer for the “Negineh” magazine, where he designed the covers and internal illustrations, significantly influencing the graphic design of the time.
In 1965, the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (known as Kanoon) was established. Farshid Mesghali illustrated eleven books for Kanoon, including “Amoo Norooz,” “The Little Black Fish,” “The City of Serpents,” “The Hero,” “The Blue-Eyed Boy,” “The Little Marmot in My Room,” “Jamshid Shah,” “Arash the Archer,” and “Me and the Tortoise and the Doll,” which received prestigious international awards. His delicate, colorful, and lively illustrations paved the way for his later sculptures and paintings.
In 1970, Farshid Mesghali, along with Arapik Bagdasaryan, founded the animation section of Kanoon. Bagdasaryan, known by the pseudonym Petros Karamian, was responsible for drawing cartoons for the “Negineh” magazine. In the same year, Bagdasaryan created two animations, “Trapped” and “Weightlifter,” while Farshid Mesghali produced animations titled “Misunderstanding” and “Mr. Monster,” winning the Special Award for Children’s Films in Tehran. Until 1985, Farshid Mesghali created twelve animations for Kanoon, including “The Boy,” “The Maker and the Bird,” “The Grey City,” “The Very Very Good Worm,” “Look Again,” “From Different Perspectives,” “A Drop of Blood, a Drop of Oil,” and the “Why and How” series.
In 1971, Farshid Mesghali, along with Morteza Momayez and Ali Asghar Ma’soumi, established Studio 42 for graphic design. He worked on film titles, movie posters, and film titles, among other projects. In his book covers and poster designs, Farshid Mesghali’s special attention to minimalism, movement, color, and elements of Iranian visual culture created a dynamic and concise expression of his images.
Farshid Mesghali has created important illustrations for several significant books, including the poems of Nima Youshij, “Iranian Creation,” and “Moonlight,” reflecting not only literary concepts but also his artistic approaches and worldview.
From 1979 to 1986, Farshid Mesghali supervised the graphics department at Kanoon, producing significant works in album design, cinema posters, theater, cultural events, and book illustration, which remain memorable and enduring.
He was a founding member of the Iran Artists Forum and played a role in its establishment in 1964 alongside artists such as Royin Pakbaz, Faramarz Pilaram, Morteza Momayez, Sadeq Tabrizi, Mohammad Reza Joudat, Ghabad Shiwa, Masoud Arabshahi, Mansour Ghandriz, Cyrus Malek, Parviz Mahallati, and Hadi Hezavehei, exhibiting his works there.
From 1979 to 1986, Farshid Mesghali lived in Paris, focusing on painting and sculpture. In 1988, he moved to the United States, where he worked as a professional graphic designer in California and San Francisco until 1997, establishing a desktop studio for major commercial companies.
Farshid Mesghali, who has received eleven prestigious international awards for book illustration and animation, is the only Iranian illustrator to have won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, also known as the Little Nobel Prize, which has been held every two years in Denmark since 1956. In 1974, at the age of 31, he became the fifth artist in the world to receive this prestigious global award for his efforts in illustration. The Hans Christian Andersen Award has been awarded to 26 artists from 17 countries worldwide, and Farshid Mesghali is the only Iranian recipient.
Despite his international acclaim, Farshid Mesghali’s works have an Iranian spirit and draw from Iran’s rich culture. He is an unparalleled and influential artist who, over six decades of continuous and relentless efforts, has created enduring, influential, and creative images, making a significant contribution to the history of visual arts in Iran.
