Mehdi Vishkai was born in Rasht and moved to Tehran in 1934. He completed his art education at Kamal Ol Molk School. Then He graduated with a bachelor's degree in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran. Like some of his contemporaries, he turned to European painting, especially French painters of the early years of twentieth century, and traveled many times to Europe to study modernist painting. Vishkai held his first solo exhibition in 1949 at the Iran-US Association. He established the Boys' Fine Arts Conservatory with the association of Jalil Ziapour, and became the director of this school. His works have been exhibited many times in Iran and abroad over the years. 

Mehdi Vishkai is one of the pioneers of modernist Iranian art. Most of his fame is due to still life paintings of nature and face portraits. Style of His works are between academic painting and modernist painting and contain elements of post-impressionist and expressionist painting. Mehdi Vishkai's first appearance in auctions dates back to December 2013 at the Tehran Auction House. 

Thick coloring and stains influenced by post-impressionism are the features of Vishkai's works. His portraits and still life paintings are created with great color variety and powerful brush strokes. "Vishkai began his career seriously with a tendency towards Impressionism, and went as far as Expressionism by free pen stroking with concentrated colors," writes Ruyin Pakbaz. However, the artist himself has never stated that his works belong to these artistic currents: "I really don't know what Expressionism is or whatever!!! I can not recognize it, You have to say. I've had these strokes and this kind of coloring from the beginning. I did not save on my paints. My type of painting was clear, I used thick layers of paint and a wide brush. Sometimes I pick it up with a spatula and throw it there."

Javad Mojabi has written about his artistic path: "Vishkai has a special status among painters of the same age; He started portraiture from the beginning and soon figured out his own way. In his development stages, he has developed the technique of accelerated painting and the musical quality of the obvious rhythms along with strokes of the pen and the amazing harmony of colorful surfaces in his familiar compositions. His works are often custom made and are not available for him."