Iranian Painting

Compiled By: Firouzeh Mirrazavi
Deputy Editor of Iran Review

The history of the art of painting in Iran goes back to the Cave Age.

Painted images of animals and hunting scenes have been discovered in the caves of Lorestan province. Those discovered by W. Semner on the walls of buildings in Mallyan Heights in Fars province belong to 5,000 years ago.

Illustrations discovered on earthenware in Lorestan, Sialk Mound in Kashan and other archeological sites prove that the artists of this region were familiar with the art of painting.

In paintings belonging to Achaemenid era, artists preferred profiles. The proportion and beauty of colors used in this era are remarkable. They lack shading and have the same tonal quality. In some cases, black stripes limited the colorful surfaces.

Mani, the Iranian painter, who lived about the 3rd century, was a skilled and expert painter. His paintings were thought to be miraculous.

The paintings of Torfan, discovered in the desert of Gall, a region situated in the Turkistan province in China, belong to 840 to 860 AD.

These mural paintings exhibit Iranian scenes and portraits. Images of tree also exist in these paintings. Paintings belonging to the Islamic period are quiet scarce and were created in the first half of the 13th century.

Iranian miniatures (fine and small drawings) came to Fife after the fall of Baghdad (1285 AD). Since the beginning of the 14th century, handwritten books were decorated with scenes from battlefields, feasts and hunting.

China has provided the most important incentive for the art of painting in Iran. There is a link between Buddhist Chinese and Iranian painters.

From the historic viewpoint, the most important evolution in Iranian art has been the adoption of Chinese designs and coloring, which were mixed with the specific conception of Iranian artists.

The extreme beauty and skill of Iranian paintings are difficult to describe. In the first century, after the emergence of Islam, Iranian artists began decorating books.

The cover and margins of books were adorned with designs passed on throughout centuries known as the “Art of Illumination”.

The art of illumination and book decoration made its path of progression under the Seljuk, Mogul and Teimurid reigns.

Paintings from the beginning of the Islamic period had the reputation of belonging to Baghdad school. These paintings do not possess the artistic stress. The miniatures of Baghdad school are not proportional. Portraits show light colors.

Artists of the Baghdad school, after years of stagnancy, were eager to create and innovate. This particular school had animals and illustrated stories.

Although the Baghdad school is to some extent superficial and primitive, the art of Iranian miniature, in the same period, was seen in every region in which Islam was propagated: Far East, Africa and Europe.

Among illustrated books in the Baghdad style, “Kelileh and Demneh” can be named. Images are painted larger than normal and are not proportional. Only few colors are used in these paintings.

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

An example of the most ancient Iranian miniature is the drawings on a book called “Manafe Al-Hayvan” (1299 AD). This book describes the characteristics of animals.

Natural history is narrated through ancient fables. Colors are bright and resemble the old style of the Baghdad school.

After the invasion of Moguls, a new school appeared in Iran. This school was totally influenced by the Chinese and Moguls, where paintings are minute, dry and motionless.

Mogul emperors, after the invasion of Iran, were impressed by the Iranian art and encouraged painters.

Among the characteristics of the Iranian art, which can also be observed in the paintings of Moguls, subtleties, decorative compositions and fine short lines can be observed. The style of these Iranian paintings is linear and one-dimensional.

Artists of the Mogul royal court emulated not only Iranian techniques but also their themes. A part of their work consisted of illustrating Iranian literary masterpieces such as “Shahnameh” of Ferdowsi. It’s one of the masterpieces of the Iranian art of painting preserved in the library of Golestan Palace in Tehran.

Contrary to Baghdad and Mogul schools, more works remain from Herat school. The founders of the style of painting associated with the Herat school were Teimur’s ancestors, and the school was named after the place where it was founded.

Art experts believe that during the Teimurid era, the art of painting in Iran reached a climax. During this period, outstanding masters such as Kamaluddin Behzad produced a new class of Iranian painting. The Teimurid period continued from 1370 to 1405 AD. In this period, the art of miniature and book illumination improved substantially and most famous painters gave life to their work in this period.

The book of “Khamseh Nezami” shows 13 excellent miniatures drawn by “Mirak”, the famous painter and calligrapher. They demonstrate the sensitive and artistic spirit of Baghdad’s paintings. This precious work is preserved in the British Museum.

One of the liveliest paintings of this book shows the construction of “Jozanag” palace. In this painting, masters and architects are busy building the palace. This miniature was painted in 1494 in Herat.

Behzad, the greatest painter of Herat School, expanded the delicate art of miniature.

During the Safavid era, the artistic center moved to Tabriz and a few artists also settled in Qazvin. But the Safavid school of painting was established in Isfahan.

The miniature of Iran in this era was detached from the influence of the Chinese and stepped on a new road. The painters were then more inclined toward naturalism.

Reza Abbasi founded the Safavid school of painting and transformed the art of design, which is one of the most elegant Iranian arts. Miniatures created under the Safavid School were not exclusively aimed at decorating and illustrating books. The Safavid style is softer in form than those of the Teimurid school. Human images and their behavior are not vain and artificial; on the contrary, they are natural and closer to reality.

Safavid painters also displayed a special expertise in heural paintings. The most magnificent example of which can be seen in the palaces of Chehel-Sotoun and Aali Qapou.

In Safavid paintings, the splendor and the grandeur of this period are evident. The themes of the paintings focus on the life in royal court, the nobles, beautiful palaces, scenes of battles and banquets. Humans are drawn with flamboyant garments, handsome faces and glowing colors.

The art of painting, during the Safavid era, expanded both in terms of quantity and quality. In the works of this period, a greater freedom, skill and power can be seen.

Artists paid more attention to generalities and avoided unnecessary details, as seen in Herat and Tabriz styles. The smoothness of lines, the quick expression of feelings, and condensing the subjects are the characteristics of the Safavid style of painting.

After the end of the Safavid era, perspective and shading, a result of the European style, appeared in the Iranian paintings.

Safavid painters also displayed a special expertise in heural paintings. The most magnificent example of which can be seen in the palaces of Chehel-Sotoun and Aali Qapou.

In Safavid paintings, the splendor and the grandeur of this period are evident. The themes of the paintings focus on the life in royal court, the nobles, beautiful palaces, scenes of battles and banquets. Humans are drawn with flamboyant garments, handsome faces and glowing colors.

The art of painting, during the Safavid era, expanded both in terms of quantity and quality. In the works of this period, a greater freedom, skill and power can be seen.

Artists paid more attention to generalities and avoided unnecessary details, as seen in Herat and Tabriz styles. The smoothness of lines, the quick expression of feelings, and condensing the subjects are the characteristics of the Safavid style of painting.

After the end of the Safavid era, perspective and shading, a result of the European style, appeared in the Iranian paintings.

Paintings of Qajar period (16th century) show a combination of the classic European arts and Safavid miniature techniques.

Under the Qajars, a kind of painting known as Teahouse painting emerged. This was a new phenomenon in the history of Iranian art. These paintings featured the holy images of prophets, religious epics and the battles of the national warriors. Teahouses were gathering places for the ordinary people. In these places, narrators used to tell religious and epic stories from Ancient Persia.

Artists depicted the same stories on painting boards and the walls of these teahouses.

The most beautiful examples of this kind of painting are preserved in major museums of Tehran, and in private collections at home and abroad. Iranian paintings, through their richness, offer a special joy unlike anything else. They are connected with epic stories.

Iranian paintings are considered one of the greatest schools of art in Asia. Splendor and luminosity have not been better expressed in any other culture.