Examining the themes of the poems in the formation of atmosphere in Baisanghari and Tahmasbi's Shahnamehs

Dissertation for receiving a master's degree (M.A.)

Tension: Painting

Abstract

This research presents the themes of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh poems, in the formation of the structure and composition of Baysanqari's Shahnameh paintings in the Herat school (period Timuri) and also the Shahnameh of Tahmasabi in the Tabriz school (Safawi period).

Since painting has always been in sync with literature, the paintings also contain themes, concepts and quotations that are examples of writing; Among these are the poetic themes of Ferdowsi, which marked the Shahnameh and were the subject of research in this treatise; Poems that take realism to an extraterrestrial level in the epic of creation, become the cause of imagery and become cognate with this vision of the artist who plays in the world of imagination; This interaction has made the picture and the verses complement each other. With this view, the research proceeds. Ferdowsi, who used similes, metaphors and other literary elements in his verses, moves and jumps to meanings, always trying to show the contrast between good and evil, good and bad; Also, it has been the worst vision of worldly demons, which has been expressed in the form of an epic with richness and continuity, and the artist has written this spirit by using visual elements in the depiction of narratives. And as a result of this research, which was conducted theoretically and based on rational arguments and analysis, by studying related books, magazines and theses, he recovered this appearance in the Shahnamehs of Baisanghari and Tahmasbi; which, in addition to preserving the pictorial tradition in the composition of pictures, has a space creation in accordance with the themes of the narrative, so that it has always caused reflection and thought beyond the material world in the future, and in this goal it is associated with Ferdowsi. This synchronicity and companionship has been evaluated in the expressive elements of the Shahnameh and in the illustrations of the two mentioned Shahnamehs.

Introduction

In the name of God, the soul of wisdom does not pass away

God of the Name and God of the Place

The Lord of the Universe and the revolving sphere.

The name and sign of thought is superior. The writer is the gem.

Do not let the viewers see the Creator.

And the position

Words of all the precious women do not find in the way of life and wisdom

The wise man should choose the one who sees the same

Praise does not know who he is.

He who was wise was capable.

During the thousand years that have passed since Ferdowsi's Shahnameh was written, many writers and artists were influenced by this national epic. In addition to the field of Iranian language, literature and culture, Shahnameh has also influenced Iranian arts. Iranian artists and artisans inspired by the stories and themes of Shahnameh left behind their magnificent works of art. It is as if the text and theme of the Shahnameh, by influencing the minds and consciences of Iranian artists, causes them to create their works with an epic and mythological approach and attitude. Shahnameh was written in different periods. In the meantime, among the famous illustrated versions, there are two Shahnamehs of Baisanqari and Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasabi, which will be analyzed.

The Iranian painter was more inclined to depict the world of his hopes and imaginations; In fact, we can witness a tangible relationship between literature and the painting space, which is coterminous with the painter's vision and finds a suitable platform to illustrate his world with the presence of themes for painting; that these epic themes of the Shahnameh are of this type of connections; So that this enigmatic and metaphorical expression of poems and traditions find a visual expression in painting.

However, throughout history, Iranian painting has encountered foreign cultures and heterogeneous Eastern and Western traditions, which has affected its visual space. But the point worth noting is that the painter's gaze has always been focused on creating an ideal space by acquiring measured adaptations and transforming it in line with his own expression. This appearance can be recovered in the best paintings and here in the two Shahnamehs mentioned in the Timurid and Safavid periods, in a period where we witness the peak of authentic Iranian painting art.

Therefore, in this treatise, firstly, in order to analytically express the subject, the study of space creation and art schools in the two mentioned periods, namely the schools of Herat and Tabriz, and to achieve this, the concept of space and composition are referred to. will be And in the next chapter, considering the themes of the Shahnameh, we first get to know its precious poet, and in the same way, we will recognize this magnificent work that he left behind. As we know, Ferdowsi's influence on the preservation of Iranian culture is unquestionable, and his influence on our Persian literature is one of his best monuments, which have appreciated this value in history that we have such pictures from this precious work. In this regard, in the next part of this chapter, epic literature and then its effects on painting will be evaluated. Because as we know, the poems of Shahnameh are based on 3 parts: mythological, historical, and epic, which contains the overall spirit of it, the epic. Also, in the next section, we will look for the themes of the poems in the formation of the visual elements of the Shahnamehs, which will examine the composition or the type of movement and colors in the epic paintings, and by bringing some illustrations of the two Shahnamehs of Baisangari and Tahmasbi, it will be stated how despite the use of the characteristics of their schools, they have been able to preserve the spirit of the Shahnameh narratives in connection with the calligraphy of the poems that are often present in the paintings, and this is how the inscriptions in the two Shahnamehs We will also consider, because they will not affect the structure and transfer of the concept of the Shahnameh images, which as an element in the spatialization of the pictures will cause the speed of transmission and beauty in the spatialization. And finally, in the last chapter, we will come to the conclusion of this treatise.

First chapter:

1-1 Statement of the problem:

This research, according to the chosen topic, pays attention to this principle had to evaluate the position of writing and visual expression of the themes of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh in the Timurid period, specifically, Baisangari's Shahnameh and Tahmasbi's Shahnameh in the Safavid period, to find out what structure it is based on. Since literature has played a major role in the formation of Iranian culture, by looking at the place of literature in the art of painting, we can somehow understand the connection between these two arts. And one can see the direct influence of Persian poetry and literature on painting as one of the original Iranian arts, in all historical periods and especially at the height of the brilliance of this art in the Timurid and Safavid periods.

Thus, the question is raised, how did the theme of the poems in Baisangari Shahnameh (Timurian period) become a visual expression that imagines the atmosphere of the paintings in this Shahnameh?! And in this regard, considering that different ways of expression in terms of different influences or different factors in each period or each school, have caused a more special combination for paintings; This question arises that the visual expression in this Shahnameh is accompanied by what visual characteristics (such as the states of the figures, etc.) and the structure or the spatialization that make up the different elements of the image, and how is the meaning of the poems expressed here? What are the visual and thematic features of the pictures? And to what extent has it been influenced by the poetry of the Shahnameh?

And also, these discussions take steps in this direction to answer the question that in the later period, that is, during the Safavid rule, according to a different perspective in the paintings of the Shahnameh Tahmasbi, what pictorial characteristics of the poems of the Shahnameh can be found, which are similar or different from what is examined in the Shahnameh of Baysangari? turns