In the world outlook of Persian painters, the universe was a manifestation of god creation. Their understanding called for permanent spiritual communion with nature. They saw nature through uncontaminated eyes, cherishing its every manifestation and never looking upon them as mere soulless objects to be dominated by man. It was through this kind of relationship that the mysteries of existence were revealed to them.
Artistic education was based on a master-pupil system in which the master, a venerable guide, steered his pupil through the different stages of learning as the latter’s spiritual and scientific capabilities came to the fore, and the pupil embraced the holy hardships of learning and strived at removing every stain from his heart in order to achieve an eminent level of artistry.
At present, Isfahan is the only pole of this art at a superior level in Iran. The majority of the artists are interested in presenting some patterns from the Safavid era such as: meeting, scenes of hunting and polo games, love scenes, etc. Among other major characteristics of miniature style is that it does not follow the normal rules of perspective for the drawn objects, because it is like pieces of photography from different characters in layers (at distances) near and far from an origin (datum point), but after assembling them in a frame together, the distance of the objects vanishes and the observer finds a wider scope of vision. Some people believe the earlier Islamic prohibition against the painting of real visages was to a large extent broken, although artists by exaggeration of the dimensions complied with Islamic restriction. At the same time, they could show a wider scope for the flourishing and innovation more and more.
In Persian miniature painting dots are usually the basic parts that form images of a subject. In other words, by joining the dimensionless elements (dots), the layout and format of the figures are composed in two dimensions, that this peculiarity can be observed through a magnifying glass.
For a deeper appeal, an artist tries to use natural materials. For example, the brush is made from fine cat hair, early miniatures were usually painted on vellum, but by the mid 1700s this had been replaced in popularity by ivory. The majority of dyes are herbal and mineral that enjoy a high degree of stability and long life upgrading designs to a high level. A miniaturist sometimes reaches such a lofty artistic level of understanding that by paying attention to only one line of a poem, a flash of inspiration comes into his mind to draw a proper scene as a reflection of mental motifs in his mind.
No 50, Posht Matbakh St.
Naghsh-e-Jahan Sq. Isfahan
Tel: +98.31.322 217 85
Amadegah St. Next to Safir Hotel
Opposite Abbasi Hotel, Isfahan
Tel: +98.31.322 0000 7
Everyday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
(Except Friday)
Friday by appointment