Persian miniature: description, development and photo

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A Persian miniature is a small, richly detailed painting depicting religious or mythological subjects from the region of the Middle East now known as Iran. The art of miniature painting flourished in Persia from the 13th to the 16th centuries. This continues to this day, with some contemporary artists reproducing notable Persian miniatures. These paintings tend to have a very high level of detail.

Definition

A Persian miniature is a small painting, whether it's a book illustration or a stand-alone piece of art meant to be kept in an album. The techniques are generally comparable to Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illustrated manuscripts, which likely influenced the origins of Iranian painting.

Features

There are several characteristic features of Persian miniatures (photo below). The first is the size and level of detail. Many of theseThe paintings are quite small, but they feature complex scenes that can be viewed for hours. The classic Persian miniature is also distinguished by the presence of gold and silver accents along with a very bright range of colors. The perspective in these artworks includes elements stacked on top of each other in such a way that those who are accustomed to the look and feel of Western art find it difficult to perceive these drawings.

Development

Persian miniatures were originally commissioned as illustrations for manuscripts. Only very we althy people could afford them, and the production of some of the paintings lasted up to a year. Eventually, less we althy people also began to collect these works of art in separate albums. Many of these collections, fortunately, have survived to this day, along with other examples of Persian art.

Persian book miniature was influenced by Chinese art. This is indicated by some of the themes and plots that appear in some of the early examples of miniatures. For example, many of the mythological creatures depicted in early Persian art bear a striking resemblance to the animals of Chinese mythology. Over time, however, Persian artists developed their own style and themes, and the concept of Persian miniatures echoed the culture of neighboring regions.

Such drawings also deserve close attention: the longer you look at them, the more details and themes appear. The study of one suchpieces can take a whole day.

Description of the Persian miniature

This type of painting became a significant form of Persian art in the 13th century, and it reached its highest peak in the 15th-16th centuries. Further development of this tradition took place partly under the influence of Western culture. The Persian miniature greatly contributed to the development of the Islamic miniature.

Despite the influence at different stages of development of the art of other countries, the Persian art of miniature had its own distinctive features. Iranian artists are easily recognizable by their natural and realistic motives. Also worth noting is the Persian technique of "layering" perspectives to create a sense of space. This gives the viewer a sense of three-dimensional space and the ability to focus on certain aspects of the image to the exclusion of others.

Content and form are the basic elements of miniature painting, and artists are known for their subtle use of color. The themes of these works of art are mainly related to Persian mythology and poetry. They use clean geometry and a vibrant palette.

Backstory

The history of the art of painting in Iran dates back to the Stone Age. In the caves of the province of Lorestan, painted images of animals and hunting scenes were found. Drawings dating back about five thousand years have been discovered in Fars. Images found on pottery in Lorestan and other archaeological sites prove that the artists of this region were familiar withthe art of painting. Several murals dating back to the time of the Ashkanids (III-I century BC) were also found, most of which were found in the northern part of the El-Furat (Euphrates) river. One of these paintings is a hunting scene. The position of the riders and animals, as well as the style of this work, are reminiscent of Iranian miniatures.

In the paintings of the Achaemenid era, the work of artists is distinguished by an incredible ratio and beauty of colors. In some cases, black stripes have been used to limit multi-colored surfaces.

Paintings dating back to 840-860 AD have been found in the desert of Turkestan. These murals show traditional Iranian scenes and portraits. The earliest images from the Islamic period are rather few and were created in the first half of the 13th century.

Painting schools

Roughly since the 7th century, China has played a big role in the development of the art of painting in Iran. Since then, a connection has been established between Buddhist Chinese and Persian artists. From a historical point of view, the most important evolution in Iranian art was the adoption of the Chinese style of painting and paints, which were mixed with the concept of Persian artists. In the first centuries after the advent of Islam, Iranian artists began to decorate books with miniatures.

Images related to the beginning of the Islamic period belonged to the Baghdad school. These miniatures have completely lost the style and methods of ordinary painting of the pre-Islamic period. They are not proportional, they use light colors. Artists of the Baghdad school, aftermany years of stagnation, sought to create something new. They started drawing animals and illustrating stories.

Although the Baghdad school, given pre-Islamic art, is somewhat superficial and primitive, the art of the Iranian miniature in the same period was widespread in all regions in which Islam spread: in the Far East, in Africa and in other countries.

Most handwritten books from the 13th century are supplemented with images of animals, plants, and illustrations for fables and stories.

An example of the most ancient Iranian miniature is the drawings of a book called Manafi al-Khaivan (1299 AD). It presents stories about animals, as well as their allegorical meaning. Numerous images introduce the reader to the Iranian art of painting. Images are made in bright colors, some miniatures show the influence of Far Eastern art: some images are drawn with ink.

After the Mughal invasion, a new school appeared in Iran. She was completely influenced by Chinese and Mughal styles. These paintings are all very small, with static images done in the Far Eastern style.

Persian miniature adopted such features of Mughal art as decorative compositions and thin short lines. The style of Iranian paintings could be described as linear. Artists in this area have shown particular creativity and originality.

At the Mughal court, not only Persian artistictechnique, but also the theme of the paintings. Some of the artists' works were illustrations of Iranian literary masterpieces, such as Shahnameh by Ferdowsi.

In contrast to the Baghdadi and Mughal images, there are more works left from the Harat school. The founders of this style of painting were the ancestors of Timur, and the school was named after the place where it was founded.

Art critics believe that in the era of Timur, the art of painting in Iran reached its zenith. During this period, many outstanding masters worked, it was they who brought a new touch to Persian painting.

Kemal ad-Din Behzad Herawy

This artist (c. 1450 - c. 1535) was the author of many Persian miniatures and headed the royal workshop (kitabkhana) in Herat and Tabriz during the late Timurid and early Safavid periods.

He is also known as Kemal ad-din Behzad or Kamaleddin Behzad.

Persian painting of the period often uses the arrangement of geometric architectural elements as the structural or compositional context in which the figures are placed. Behzad, using the traditional geometric style, stretched this compositional structure in several ways. First, he often used open, empty, unpatterned areas around which the action takes place. He also placed images around the plane in some organic flow.

Gestures of figures and objects are not only natural, expressive and active, but also positioned so that the gaze constantly moves across the entire image plane. Compared to othersmedieval miniaturists, he more boldly used contrasting dark colors. Another characteristic of his work is narrative playfulness: the almost hidden eye and partial representation of Bahram's face as he peers at the girls frolicking in the pool below; an upright goat that looks like a demon at the edge of the horizon in the story of an old woman standing against the sins of Sanjar.

Behzad also uses Sufi symbolism and symbolic color to convey meaning. He brought naturalism to Persian painting, especially in the depiction of more individualized figures and the use of realistic gestures and facial expressions.

Behzad's most famous works are "The Seduction of Yusuf" from Bustan Saadi of 1488 and paintings from the Nizami manuscript of the British Library of 1494-95. Establishing his authorship in some cases is problematic (and many academics now argue that this is unimportant), but most of the works attributed to him date from 1488-1495.

He is also mentioned in Orhan Pamuk's famous novel My Name is Red as one of the greatest Persian miniaturists. Pamuk's novel says that Kemal ad-Din Behzad blinded himself with a needle.

The artist himself was born, lived and worked in Herat (in modern Afghanistan) under the Timurids, and then in Tabriz under the Safavid dynasty. As an orphan, he was brought up by the eminent artist Mirak Nakkash and was a protégé of the writer Mir Ali Shir Nevai. Its mainthe patrons in Herat were the Timurid sultan Hussein Baiqara (reigned 1469-1506) and other amirs from his entourage. After the fall of the Timurids, he was employed by Shah Ismail I Safavi in Tabriz, where, as head of the ruler's workshop, he had a decisive influence on the development of the art of the Safavid period. Behzad died in 1535, his grave is in Tabriz.

Safavid era

During this period, the art center was moved to Tabriz. Several artists also settled in Qazvin. However, the Safavid school of painting was founded in Isfahan. The miniature of Iran in this era was freed from the influence of the Chinese and entered a new stage of development. Artists then were more naturalistic.

Riza-yi-Abbasi

He was the most famous Persian miniaturist, artist and calligrapher of the Isfahan school, which flourished during the Safavid period under the patronage of Shah Abbas I.

He was the founder of the “Safavid School of Painting”. The art of drawing in the Safavid era underwent a significant transformation. Riza Abbasi (1565 - 1635) is considered one of the leading Persian artists of all time. He was trained in the workshop of his father Ali Asghar and was accepted into the workshop of Shah Abbas I while still a young man.

At the age of about 38, he received the honorary title of Abbasi from his patron, but soon left his job for the Shah, apparently striving for greater freedom of communication with ordinary people. In 1610 he returned to the Shah, with whom he remained until his death. In his miniatures, he preferred the naturalistic depiction of images, which he often painted infeminine and impressionistic style. This style became popular during the late Safavid period.

Many of his works depict handsome young men, often in the role of a "winemaker" who are sometimes looked at in admiration by older people, a manifestation of the Persian tradition of appreciating youthful male beauty.

Today, his work can be found in the museum that bears his name in Tehran, as well as in many major Western museums such as the Smithsonian, the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Features of the Safavid school

The miniatures created during this period were not intended solely to decorate and illustrate books. The Safavid style is softer in form than previous schools. Human images and their behavior do not seem artificial, on the contrary, they are natural and close to reality.

In Safavid paintings, the splendor and grandeur of this period is the main attraction. The main themes of the paintings are life at the royal court, the nobility, beautiful palaces, scenes of battles and banquets.

Artists paid more attention to generality, avoiding unnecessary details. Smoothness of lines, quick expression of feelings and thickening of plots are the main characteristics of the Safavid style of painting. From the end of this era, perspective and shading appeared in Persian miniatures, as a result of the influence of the European style of painting.

Qajar dynasty (1795-1925)

Paintings of this era are a combination ofclassical European art and Safavid miniature techniques. During this period, Mohammad Ghaffari Kamal-ul-Molk developed the European classical style of painting in Iran. At the end of this period, a new style appeared in the history of Iranian painting, called "the art of the coffee house", which actually marked the decline of Persian art.

Influence

The aesthetics and imagery of medieval Persian miniatures influenced not only artists. In particular, this applies to poetry. Poem by N. S. Gumilyov "Persian Miniature" was included in the collections "Pillar of Fire" and "Persia" (1921). It is a reflection of the artistic world of Iranian miniaturists.

When I finally cum

Game in cache-cache with gloomy death, The Creator will make me

Persian miniature.

And the sky, like turquoise, And the prince, barely raised

Almond eyes

On the takeoff of the girl's swing.

With a bloodied shah spear, Wandering the wrong path

On cinnabar heights

Behind the flying chamois.

And neither in a dream nor in reality

Unseen tuberoses, And a sweet evening in the grass

Already tilted vines.

And on the back, Like the clouds of Tibet clean, It will be gratifying for me to wear

Great Artist Badge.

A fragrant old man, Negotiator or courtier, Glancing, I will fall in love in an instant

Love is sharp and stubborn.

His monotonous days

I will be a starguiding.

Wine, lovers and friends

I will replace one by one.

And that's when I satisfy, Without ecstasy, without suffering, My old dream -

Wake adoration everywhere.

The deep meaning of Gumilyov's "Persian Miniature" is connected, firstly, with the lyrical theme of the thirst for love. In addition, the poet secretly introduces the characters of the fairy tale into it. Secondly, the verse "Persian miniature" is a symbol of the imperishable world, created thanks to the power of the poet's word.