|
Reprinted from:
Faslname-ye Honar
The Center Of Artistic Research & Studies Ministry of Culture
& Islamic Guidance
No. 57, Fall 2003
Iran
|
|
.
Research
|
.
Kamaleddin
Behzad, Iranian
miniaturist
.
|
|
Painting:
Iran
|
|
The world
of imagination & the concept of space in Persian
painting: S. Hossein Nasr |
Little
attention has been paid to the intrinsic
philosophical and symbolic meaning of Persian
painting and that most of the researches have
been conducted in this area and have been
undertaken by non-Iranian scholars. Even these
are mostly dedicated to formal discussions and
historical debates; unlike the works of
Coomaraswamy, Zimmer, Kramrich, Salmony and
more recently Rowland on the Chinese, Japanese
and Indian arts.
There were only a few scholars such as Pope,
Burkhardt and Ettinghausen, who have paid
attention to the inherent truth in Islamic art.
This comes while academic circles have accepted
that art is a symbolic language, which reveals
the philosophical foundations of a civilization. |
| A
portrait of a world or a discussion on the
Persian art: Dariush Shaygan |
Quoted
from a book by Dariush Shaygan, this article
about the understanding of art observes that it
is impossible to appreciate the art of any
nation without understanding the creative
inspiration and spirit, of which art is an
outcome.
However, any authentic at is linked to the
eternal source, whose message is carried from
the past to the loyal children of the future.
Nevertheless, there are few people, who remain
loyal to their heritage. Iranians are one those
few people, who have remained devoted to their
ethnic legacy.
In spite of several invasions by outsiders and
the historical gaps, which are part of the
country's historical characteristics, Persian
art has remained as a unique phenomenon
regardless of the numerous changes it has
undergone.
The Persian art or ceramic conveys a picture as
old as the world itself. This picture divides
the space into four parts and its focal point is
a cross. This primary picture is what inks our
ethnic memories to each other like an invisible
thread across the Iranian plateau. |
|
Persian painting and the colors of light, mirror
and garden: Y. Eshaghpor, J. Arjmand |
The
main source of the astounding and fascinating
glamour of Persian painting is rooted in its
colors. The brilliance of its visible colors, a
sense of absolute liberty, delicacy, variety,
endlessness, details and delicate harmony are
what makes Persian painting stand out and apart
from the masterpieces of Chinese and Western
painting.
In Persian painting, objects are devoid of their
dark part. They lack weight, volume and shadow,
as though they are reflections in a magic
mirror. The characteristic of this painting is
its splendor.
But what is splendid is not the nature of what
is in the painting, although there are dragons,
legendary birds, angels and demons in Persian
miniatures. What is splendid is that whatever
enters the Persian painting turns itself into
pure color no matter if it is a garden, a
castle, a love sense, a hunting scene or a
battlefield. Yet, whenever there is violence
there is no excitement. What there is, is a calm
eternity, a reflection of light stemming from
somewhere else. |
|
Persian painting from the oldest times to
Safavid period: Ali Akbar Tajvidi |
From
among all forms of art, painting can draw the
closest inks between the spiritual and material
worlds. It simplifies the world and its many
dimensions into only two dimensions marked by
lines and colors. And this narrates man's
perception of the world.
In this way, a piece of painting is a series of
truths, which reflect the world. In a world
devoid of atmosphere, perspective and shadows,
the artist tries to act as an alchemist, who
recreates the divine light with colors. |
| A
rare character of our times: Qazi Mir Ahmad
Monshi (Qom), Gulistan Honar 1972 |
A
rare character of his times and the best painter
of his days is master painter Behzad, who lives
and works in the capital Herat.
Estranged from the parents as a child, he was
adopted and later trained by Mirak, a librarian
in the royal court of Shah Sultan Hussein. Son
Behzad had a great progress and son became a
master painter far better than any other painter
had ever been. |
| Shah
Ismail's handwritten mandate appointing Behzad
as the royal librarian |
Based
on the verse, "When you create, create in
the best way", man created as a wonderful
being and in the most beautiful appearance. This
is a sign of the power of the creator, who
paints the faces of all creatures.
And he created a fine, wise and able artist of
good taste and delicate passion for colors, who
can create fine paintings on his board and
reveal the desirable shape of things.
(Quoted from Gulistan Honar) |
| The
death of Behzad: Gulistan Honar |
| Behzad
was always endeared, while at the service of
Shah Ismail. He was promoted to be the chairman
of the royal library. Thanks to the patronage of
Shah Ismail and Shah Tahmasb, who replaced his
father after his death, Behzad trained many
apprentices in Tabriz, the best of whom were
Khajeh Abdul-Aziz and Ostad Mozafar Ali. Qazi
Mir Ahmed mistakenly reported his death in
Herat. Behzad passed away in Tabriz. His tomb is
next to that of Sheikh Kamal's, in the Sheikh's
garden. |
| A
Behzad's work on an introduction by Qiaseddin
Khand-mir |
An
introduction by Qiaseddin Khand-mir, describing
a work of art, which is an example of Behzad's
skill as a master painter:
"Kamaleddin Behzad is one of the artists
with comprehensive knowledge. These works of his
are examples of the finest paintings, which
reflect his believes and ingenuity and
kindness."
(Courtesy of the National Library of Paris) |
| A
description of Behzad's creativity and skill |
The
king, may his soul rest in peace, had chosen
Behzad of all the artists, as he was respected
by all artists of his likeness. When the king
was sad, the master painter created a work of
art, so that the king would cheer up, as soon as
he saw the work. And he knew too many ways of
creating joyful works for his royal highness.
In one occasion, when the king's beloved horse
died, the man who took care of the horses, came
to the master painter and said that the king
would die of sorrow, when the news of his
horse's death is going to break out; and he
sought the painter's help.
(Quoted from Vasefi, Zeinoddin Mahmoud,
Badaye-ol-Vaqaye, published by the Iranian
Cultural Foundation) |
| Kamaleddin
Behzad, the most passionate and tasteful Persian
painter: Jalil Ziapour |
Kamaleddin
Behzad was born in Herat, some 500 years ago.
Since his childhood, it was evident from his
talent that he was going to become one of the
greatest painters of Persia. He was lucky enough
to be in a favorable situation for his growth
and progress. He received his encouragement from
both the people and his royal patrons.
His fame as a painter was identical with that of
a legendary ancient Persian painter, known as
Mai. So many other painters have imitated his
style and many others tried to pass their own
works as those of Behzad.
His work was unique in his selection of the
subjects and his choice of vivid colors and
delicate style. This was the peak of an endeavor
in the area of painting, which started in early
Islamic era. Behzad's importance is not merely
in the fact that he facilitated the development
of Persian painting. His importance lies rather
in the fact that he brought Persian painting
beyond the status any artist intended to bring.
That is what has made Behzad superior to all
other artists of his time. |
| Pictorial
narrative or text; a contemplation in theories
of Paul Ricoeur: M. Hesami |
The
concept of narration has always been expressed
in words, which indicate that narration has
something to do necessarily with text. On the
other hand, the act of writing requires some
sort of awareness, which is text related. But,
can pictures be used for conveying meanings?
Obviously, illustration has been an important as
text in conveyance of messages and meanings.
Nevertheless, even the scholars, who were
familiar with pictures, have always brought
their examples for narration from the realm of
text.
There are several reasons for this domination of
text over pictures. One is that it is easier to
register a subject in text form. But, is reading
always convincing? Is text powerful enough on
its own? Or it does need some illustrations? And
which one is more powerful? the text or the
illustration? |
| Behzad
in Tabriz; the mutual impact of various styles
on Tabriz school of painting in 16th century:
Jamilia Gasanzadeh, Kayhan Valinejad |
Behzad
is undeniably as a painter of Herat school and
the other schools, which took shape in the 16th
century and were developed later on. The style
invented by Behzad gave rise to outstanding
artists, who established and expanded the
principles of Herat school all across the
oriental world.
Tabriz school reaches an integrity of its own
without losing its epical power and impression.
His most evident in the portrayal of Shirin's
suicide. According to Doust Mohammad, this is an
outcome of the interaction between the schools
of Herat and Tabriz.
Behzad is the last remarkable artist of Tabriz
school, who added to the achievements of Persian
painting, even in the last year of his lifetime.
This is most evident in his Ascension of the
Prophe, which is based on Nizami's Khamseh. |
| Behzad;
an east-west texture: Akbar Hakimov |
A
major characteristic of the philosophy of the
20th century's art is the understanding of the
global characteristic of the cultural heritage
of our civilization. Yet, there is still room
for a comparative study of the arts of the West
and the East.
A study of the works of master painter Behzad
will clarify how the cosmological
characteristics of Western and Eastern paintings
were brought closer to each other after the 15th
century.
Behzad, as a both real and symbolic characters
gives us an opportunity to understand the extend
of artistic skill in the peak period of Persian
painting. |
| Kamaleddin
Behzad and his role in Persian painting: D.J.
Roxberg, M.P. Khorassani |
Behzad
was one of those painters, who worked delicately
and skillfully. However, he painted the face of
bearded men very finely, but when it came to
shave faces, he painted them big chins.
Nevertheless, there are very few artists, whose
works are as wonderful as those of Behzad's. He
is definitely the best artist in the history of
Persian art.
Later scholars agree with his contemporaries
that his works were indeed precious. Some
Iranian resources name him as the artist who
replaced the legendary painter Mani. However,
Behzad was harassed heavily in his lifetime for
his daring paintings. Most of his biography has
been prepared, based on the notes, which appear
in the margin and sometimes practically on the
paintings.
Scholars agree that Behzad's role in Persian
painting is that of returning its spiritual
qualities. Even his depiction of literary works
contains psychological accounts of literary
episodes. There is a sense of naturalism in his
portrayal of everyday life. In his compositions,
colors play a key role. |
| Behzad's
artistic style: Elmira Esmailova, Kayhan
Valinejad |
The
works of Behzad, a genius painter from the
Middle East, have been the subject of several
studies since late 19th century. Scholars have
been interested in them for their harmony,
magical beauty, the way they portray the world,
the depth of man's spiritual and material life
and the relationship between god and man. It is
essential that these works are studied once
again in a new light. One of the best ways of
studying these works is comparing them to the
works of the artist's contemporaries.
One of the characteristics of Behzad's works is
its dramatic quality and the way it brings
together various elements and makes them
sophisticated in order to link an apparently
local episode to a vital global issue.
With his spiritualistic view, the artist put all
the elements in a limited space, while attaching
importance to the four Islamic elements of
earth, air, water and fire. In his views, the
world cannot be detached from nature. |
| Musical
elements in Behzad's paintings: Jasour
Rasoul Taef |
It
is extremely difficult to analyze the
traditional paintings in Iran. It is because
there are always profound thoughts behind the
apparent transparency of these works. Yet, they
may lead the researcher to the world or
imagination. In the works of Iranian painters,
such as Behzad, one could usually see
characters, playing some musical instruments.
These are not the main characters, but still
they help other characters in the painting to
stand out.
The type of instruments, used in various
ceremonies, tell us about the nature of the
gathering. Some of the instruments are played by
men and women alike. These paintings show that
after so many years the shape of some of the
musical instruments has changed, while others
have survived the passage of time. Even the
names of some of the instruments have changed in
the course of time. |
|
| . |
|
|
Research:
Art |
|
|
|
