Almost no works of painting and sculpture of the peoples of the Muslim East have come down to us, so we get an idea of ​​the fine arts of the East, mainly thanks to book illustrations - miniatures. And only in a small way do they help to recreate the picture of the state of painting on ceramics, oriental fabrics, and partly on carpets.
But the world of Oriental painting, revealed in the miniatures of manuscripts, is full of rare and subtle charm and unforgettable beauty. Providing indispensable material for understanding the style and characteristic features of the art of the Arabs and Persians, the miniature serves as a rich source of knowledge of the culture and life of Muslim peoples in different countries and in different eras. Interesting for a historian of culture and an art historian, the miniature also captivates the artist, who sometimes draws impulses to his creative searches in the laws of its creativity; The greedy and versatile collecting of oriental miniatures and the study of them has manifested itself with particular force over the last quarter of a century. But Europeans learned to appreciate the painting of the East a long time ago. Chardin, who lived in the 17th century, devotes a special chapter in his Voyages en Perse to Persian painting. We now know that Rembrandt owned an album of Indian miniatures, studied them, even copied them in his drawings, creatively processed their influences in his other works.
Meanwhile, the very existence of fine art among Muslim peoples - painting - may seem a surprising fact, since it is usually believed that Islam prohibits any depiction of living beings in general.
But this is far from being true for all eras and not for all peoples professing Islam. Literary tradition tells us about the use of picturesque images in the first centuries of Islam. [*] .
According to Muraja, under Caliph Abd-el-Melik, in the magnificent mosque in Jerusalem, the doors were decorated with images of Mohammed; the walls of the temple were covered with paintings depicting Mohammed's hell and paradise; but these images were probably made by Byzantine masters [*] .
Some information is also given by the Arab historian Makrizi [*] who wrote biographies of Muslim artists. Unfortunately, this work of his did not reach us. It is enough, however, to refer to the inventory of the treasury of El Mostaner Billah in order to understand the taste that the Fatimid rulers of Egypt had for the image of the living. One of the viziers Yazuri was specially busy attracting artists to the court and commissioning them. Of these, Ibn al-Aziz from Basra and Kazir from Iraq were especially glorious, whom he instructed to cover the walls of the palace with paintings. Ibn el-Aziz, by the way, depicted a dancer draped in red veils on a yellow background with relief effects. Makrizi elsewhere speaks of a talent for giving relief to figures, speaking of a painting depicting Joseph thrown into a well by his brothers, whose naked body of matte white stood out against a black background and seemed to be emerging from an underground prison. But time has not preserved anything except the names of those glorious masters about whom Makrizi reports: their works have not reached us.
The prohibitions against portraying the living are found mainly in the oral sayings of Mohammed, recorded later, and not in the Qur'an; which explains that far from all Muslims obey this prohibition: this is how the Shiites of Persia do not obey it and create a flourishing school of painting (many of the former religion of the Persians, from Sasanian Zoroastrianism and from Manichaeism, involuntarily entered Shia among the Persians).
Indeed, in the Koran, only in one place is the work of artists expressly prohibited - and then only sculptors. [*] . Here is the verse: “O believers! wine, gambling, statues (ansab) are Satan's delusions; abstain from it and you will be happy!”
Direct prohibitions are to be found in the commentaries to the Quran. [*] . “Misfortune, we read there, to the one who will depict a living being! On the day of the last judgment, the faces that the artist has presented will leave the paintings and come to him demanding to give them a soul. Then this man, unable to give a soul to his creatures, will be burned in an eternal flame. Or elsewhere: “God sent me to destroy three kinds of people: proud people, polytheists and painters. Beware of depicting the Lord, or a person, and write only trees, flowers and inanimate objects.
In total, in the Muslim tradition (hadith) there are four types of prohibition of images. There, by the way, a curse is pronounced on those who worship the images of the prophets and saints (this, however, is rather a prohibition of idolatry); it is also forbidden to have fabrics and pillows with images.
Despite the absence, therefore, in the Koran of direct prohibitions, Nawawi in the 13th century, based on these four hadiths, forbids having any image that has a shadow [*] .
Be that as it may, images in Muslim art were found - and not only in the era preceding the 13th century, but also later. Relatively early - precisely from the 11th century - the prohibition began to be carried out in Moorish Spain and in northern Africa; from the 14th century in Egypt and Asia Minor and among the Ottoman Turks. The Iersi and Muslims of India considered the prohibition of images only when decorating mosques and other buildings of worship.
From the most ancient period of Muslim painting, only the most insignificant remnants have come down to us. And, perhaps, the oldest monument that could give an idea of ​​the original time of art is the wall paintings of Quseir-Amra of the 9th century, discovered in the Moabite desert by Musil [*] . But the murals of Quseir-Amra with their allegories, with their scenes from everyday life and images of animals full of observation, are, in the words of V. Schulz [*] , a manifestation of Eastern Hellenism - the creation of Greek or Syrian artists in the service of the Umayyad dynasty.
The miniature also got its start not in Syria, but in Mesopotamian Iraq, where there was a center of Muslim culture in the era of the caliphs. The difficult and complex question of the origin of the Muslim miniature is presented in the light of modern research in this form [*] . Now we can say with sufficient certainty that in the 8th century, under the Umayyads, there were no manuscripts with miniatures in Damascus. The calligraphy and decoration of the Qur'ans originated not in Syria, but in Basra and Kufa, that is, in Mesopotamian Iraq. At the Abbasid court in Baghdad, one should also look for the origin of the art of Islamic miniatures. In the capital of the caliphs there were then more than a hundred bookstores and a large number of manuscripts were created there.
In the history of the emergence of the Muslim book miniature, a number of elements that influenced it can be noted. This is, firstly, the influence of the Nestorians, Syro-Egyptian Christians, who reported acquaintance with Christian antiquity. Further, the role of the Manicheans, who penetrated into Mesopotamia in the 8th century and enjoyed great favor with the Barmecids and Caliph Mamun (813-833), should be noted.
Mani, the founder of the sect, came from Persia, was active in India and Tibet and was put to death in 275 A.D. by the Sasanian king Bahram I. Tradition glorified him as a remarkable artist. Persian poets Firdausi and Hafiz also considered him an artist. It is reported that in the 11th century in the princely libraries there were manuscripts illustrated by his hand. [*] . In the monasteries founded by his followers, picturesque images: murals and book miniatures became widespread. The beauty and splendor of the Manichaean books are reported by the Arab scholar of the 9th century Al-Jabizi and Christian writers: Blessed Augustine and Ephraim of Edessa. Two miniatures on a half-decayed leaf found by the Lecoq expedition in Chinese Turkestan [*] , give an idea of ​​Manichaean painting. These fragments, although they originated in the distant state of the Uyghurs, may, according to Kunel, give us an idea of ​​the style that influenced the Baghdad school in the 9th century. Cumont believes that the miniatures found by the Lecoq expedition reflect the features of Sasanian art. It is highly probable, he writes, that the art of miniature was transferred by the Manicheans in the Sassanid era to Turkestan, where it was further developed. The miniatures found by Lecoq are distinguished by their amazing vividness of colors. On one, in the shade of flowering trees, two rows of priests in clergy costumes are depicted - in a white dress and white tiaras; they are represented sitting and writing. The back depicts musicians in colorful costumes playing while sitting on carpets.
Perhaps, in addition to the previous ones, we should also draw on a very interesting miniature (fragment) reproduced in the report compiled by S.F. Oldenburg on the Russian Turkestan expedition of 1909-10. [*] . Here, this fragment is designated as originating from Turfan and described as follows: “This fragment of an image or illustration on paper is extremely curious both in the brightness of colors and in the primitiveness of the drawing: a monk is depicted holding an Uighur book. The body is flesh-colored, the hair is black, the underdress is yellow, the top is red with a green border and a pink lining, and a green scarf is thrown over behind. The monk is in some room draped with dark red curtains. In all likelihood, we are dealing here with a piece of an illustrated Uighur manuscript.” We also note the one reproduced in the same Report in Fig. 73 print on paper of a Manichaean sacred image from Karakhoja.
Perhaps Zoroastrian traditions were among the sources that formed the miniature of the Abbasid period. In any case, in the era of the Sassanids in Persia, along with the sculpted image, the picturesque image also played a role, and as early as the 10th century, Masudi mentions a manuscript of an earlier era with portraits of Iranian kings.
Unfortunately, all the works of this original era of illustrating books in Iraq have not come down to us, so that we only know from literary news about the miniature school leading from there in Cairo, which flourished there throughout the Fatimid era. After the fall of the Fatimids in 1171, the Sunnis became predominant in Egypt, and many artists migrated back to Baghdad, which now again assumed a leading role in book decoration. There was a special demand for translations of Greek natural science treatises. From them, as well as from Hariri's then so beloved maqams and collections of fables, characteristic examples have fortunately come down to us. We even come across two names of artists here: Abdullah ibn-el Fadl, who illustrated Dioscorides' Pharmacology in 1222, and Yahya ibn-Mahmud from the city of Vazit, who in 1237 executed miniatures for one of the lists of Hariri's maqams (now in the Paris National library). All the available material of oriental miniatures that has come down to us has been studied so far, far from being perfect. Undoubtedly, new finds, both in the East and in the silence of Western European collections, will provide a lot of new information to clarify certain controversial issues of classification or stylistic definition. With the current state of knowledge, Eastern miniature can be divided into the following main sections: Arabic miniature (Mesopotamian or Baghdad school of the 13th century), Persian miniature (from the 13th to the 17th century), Turkish miniature (15th - 17th centuries) and Indian miniature of the Mughal era. But before proceeding to a detailed study, let's consider which manuscripts were illustrated and what were the methods of miniaturists' work, that is, we will dwell on questions, firstly, about the range of subjects, and secondly, about the painting technique.

Book miniature of the East

The word "miniature" comes from the Latin minium (red paint used in the design of handwritten books).

The roots of the art of miniature go back to ancient times. Wherever there are books, there is the art of book illustration.

Thumbnail Features

• The main types of miniatures are: book, portrait and lacquer. Book miniature - hand-drawn drawings, color illustrations, as well as other design elements (initials, intros, endings, etc.) in handwritten books.
• To color the book, the old masters usually used gouache, watercolor and glue paints.
• Book miniatures already existed in ancient Egypt, as well as in ancient culture. In Europe and in the East (India, Persia) it reached its peak in the Middle Ages;
• however, the appearance in Europe in the middle of the XV century. typography gradually brought it to naught.

• A special place in the art of the Muslim world was occupied by book miniatures. Since she was not mentioned in the prohibitions of the Koran, on the pages of calligraphic manuscripts we see amazingly executed images of epic heroes, feasts, lyrical and battle scenes.

• The miniatures of the 15th century, in general, differ from the works of the 14th century in terms of technique and manner of execution. The picturesque manner of writing, the free stroke give way to a graphic manner. Strictly outlined contour, thin, graceful drawing form the basis of the artist's pictorial language. The color becomes more decorative. The alternation of bright, local tones, their contrasting sound enrich the color and enhance the emotional impact of the miniature.

• In Muslim India, the miniature acquires a sensual volume, chiaroscuro appears. Interest in man, characteristic of India, gave rise to a new genre in miniature - portraiture, with sharp psychological characteristics.

Miniature of the East

• In the first half of the 15th century, an art school appeared in Herat, the capital of the Timurid state, where the best artists of Tabriz and Shiraz moved. Its first period is associated with the foundation in the 1410s. court workshop of manuscripts (ketabkhane), the end - with the conquest of Herat in 1507 by Sheibani Khan. The development of urban life and culture of feudal Herat created the necessary prerequisites for the flourishing of the art of miniature. Book illustration, being in stylistic unity with monumental painting and applied art, is acquiring hitherto unprecedented importance in the overall system of manuscript design. Already in early Herat, the miniature is distinguished by skill, confidence in the depiction of human figures, and the complexity of the composition.

Thumbnail Features

• The artists of Herat focused on drawing people, making the scene around them a mere accompaniment and framing. Fragrant nature, full of bright colors and flexible lines, a spring garden with flowering trees, lawns and streams bordered by lush greenery, architecture adorned with vegetation and geometric ornaments - all this forms a decorative background against which the main action unfolds.

• Basically, the miniature served as an illustration. This made it possible to supplement the artistic text with visual images, making reading and understanding the text easier and more enjoyable. The miniature, which has always developed at the intersection of literature and painting, combines the features of both artistic and poetic language.

Kamaleddin Behzad (1450-1535)

• One of the most famous painters of the Herat school is Kamaleddin Behzad, whose work was influenced by the poetry of Jami and Navoi. . Kamaleddin Behzad (1450-1535) - Persian miniaturist, head of the Herat and Tabriz miniature schools.
• In the works of Behzad, an exceptional attention to the daily life of a person appears. Behzad's paintings brought the art of miniature to its true heyday.

Behzad is the most famous of the masters of Persian miniatures, he is called the "Eastern Raphael", but he became famous as the creator of a special pictorial style: geometric, using Sufi mysticism and color symbolism to convey meaning.

Behzad was left an orphan at an early age and was taken in by the famous painter Mirak Nakkash, who headed the palace workshop in Herat for the production of artistic handwritten books (according to other sources, B.'s teacher was Seyid Ahmed Tabrizi). Behzad enjoyed the patronage of the Timurid vizier Mir Ali Shir Navei. He was favored by Hussein Beykar Timurid and other emirs of Herat. After the fall of the Timurid dynasty in 1510, he was called by Shah Ismail I Safavi to Tabriz where, as the head of the Shah's art workshops (since 1522) and court painter, he influenced the development of painting in the Safavid period.

• He introduced new motifs into Persian painting. His miniatures are complex, but not intricate, colorful, but realistic. Remaining within the conventions of medieval miniatures (locality of color, flatness).
• Kamaleddin Behzad, in depicting man and nature, proceeded from living observations, embodying them with such force and persuasiveness that the eastern miniature did not know before him, the figures of people in his works are devoid of static, he managed to convey natural and realistic gestures and poses.
• His works, already highly valued by his contemporaries, are distinguished by a fine expressive drawing, richness of colors, liveliness of postures and gestures of the depicted people; often the composition unfolds on two adjacent sheets with a large number of characters and an abundance of precisely found details.

Creation Kamaleddin Behzad

• Behzad.

Portrait of Sheibani Khan. ca 1507

Kamaleddin Behzad Seducing Yusuf

• The most famous works of Behzad are “The Seduction of Yusuf” - an illustration for “Bustan” by Saadi (1488), miniatures for the works of Nizami (1494-95), especially illustrations for the poems “Leyla and Majnun” and “Seven Beauties”, portraits of Sultan Hussein and Sheybani -khana

Creation Kamaleddin Behzad

• Kamaleddin Behzad

Conversation of scientists in a madrasah, ill. to "Bustan" Saadi

Kamaleddin Behzad King Darius and the shepherds, illus. to "Bustan" Saadi Kamaleddin Behzad Mosque construction

Agha Mirek, Tabriz School Two Safavid princes

• In the 16th century, poetry became extremely popular throughout Iran and Central Asia, which enriched the art of miniature with new themes. This was the beginning of a rapid development in all the schools of painting in Iran. The Tabriz miniature of that time serves as an example of skill brought to perfection in depicting a complex scene or landscape in a limited space, for example, a palace building with a part of the courtyard in front of it, an internal garden, a fragment of an interior. Artists carefully write out architectural structures, nature. The figures of people are no longer static, but full of movement and more natural. The Tabriz school flourished in the first half of the 18th century. with the coming to power of the Safavids.

Mohammad Shirazi illustration for Shahnameh, 16th century

• The literature of Iran has produced a large number of outstanding works capable of inspiring miniaturists. At the end of the 10th c. Firdousi created the immortal epic poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings) - the history of the country from the creation of the world to its conquest by the Arabs (7th century). There are about 50 thousand bayts (couples) in the poem.

Sultan Muhammad (late 1470s-1555)

• Miniaturist, head of the Tabriz school of miniatures. Agha Mirek's student. He worked in the Shah's library and was engaged in the artistic education of Shah Tahmasp I. The works of Sultan Muhammad - illustrations for Hafiz's "Divan", the end of Firdousi's "Shahnameh", Nizami's "Khamsa", individual miniatures - are distinguished by dynamism and exquisite harmony of composition, the finest decorative color, features of realistic expressiveness in the interpretation of the landscape, postures and gestures of people and animals. He also made numerous portrait miniatures, sketches of carpets depicting hunting scenes, and was engaged in jewelry business.

Miraj (Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad)

Reza Abbasi (1587-1629)

• Reza Abbasi (1587-1629) is a unique artist, the leading artist of the Isfagan school of painting, a master of virtuoso art, the son of the court painter Kali Ashgar and a student of the famous Musin. Having received an art education in his father's workshop, Abbasi was accepted to the court of Shah Abbas I in his youth. He performed genre scenes and portraits (including shepherds, peasants), rarely illustrations. His miniatures depict both noble courtiers and pampered effeminate youths, "slender as a cypress", as well as peasants and shepherds, in an impressionistic manner characteristic of the court painting of the Safavids.

Reza Abbasi Portrait of an old man Reza Abbasi woman in a veil

Reza Abbasi seated youth Georgian shepherd

Book miniature of the East author: Gorohova E.M. The word "miniature" comes from the Latin minium (red paint used in the design of handwritten books). The roots of the art of miniature go back to ancient times. Wherever there are books, there is the art of book illustration.

Features of miniatures The main types of miniatures are: book, portrait and lacquer. Book miniature - hand-drawn drawings, color illustrations, as well as other design elements (initials, intros, endings, etc.) in handwritten books. To color the book, the old masters usually used gouache, watercolor and glue paints. Book miniatures already existed in ancient Egypt, as well as in ancient culture. In Europe and in the East (India, Persia) it reached its peak in the Middle Ages; however, the appearance in Europe in the middle of the XV century. typography gradually brought it to naught.

The content of miniatures Miniatures of the 15th century, in general, differ from the works of the 14th century in terms of technique and manner of execution. The picturesque manner of writing, the free stroke give way to a graphic manner. Strictly outlined contour, thin, graceful drawing form the basis of the artist's pictorial language. The color becomes more decorative. The alternation of bright, local tones, their contrasting sound enrich the color and enhance the emotional impact of the miniature.

Easel miniatures, which until the 16th century came across occasionally, starting from the middle of this century, stand out as a special genre. Unlike book illustrations, these independent miniatures depicted mainly simple phenomena of life - hunting and battle scenes, entertainment and musical meetings, court entertainment, portraits of the Shah and his nobles, and in rare cases - poetic scenes from classical literature.

Miniature of the East In the first half of the 15th century, an art school appeared in Herat, the capital of the Timurid state, where the best artists of Tabriz and Shiraz moved. Its first period is associated with the foundation in the 1410s. court workshop of manuscripts (ketabkhane), the end - with the conquest of Herat in 1507 by Sheibani Khan. The development of urban life and culture of feudal Herat created the necessary prerequisites for the flourishing of the art of miniature. Book illustration, being in stylistic unity with monumental painting and applied art, is acquiring hitherto unprecedented importance in the overall system of manuscript design. Already in early Herat, the miniature is distinguished by skill, confidence in the depiction of human figures, and the complexity of the composition.

Features of miniatures The artists of Herat focused on drawing people, making the scene around them a mere accompaniment and framing. Fragrant nature, full of bright colors and flexible lines, a spring garden with flowering trees, lawns and streams bordered by lush greenery, architecture adorned with vegetation and geometric ornaments - all this forms a decorative background against which the main action unfolds.

Plots of miniatures Basically, the miniature served as an illustration. This made it possible to supplement the artistic text with visual images, making reading and understanding the text easier and more enjoyable. The miniature, which has always developed at the intersection of literature and painting, combines the features of both artistic and poetic language.

Kamaleddin Behzad (1450-1535) One of the most famous painters of the Herat school is Kamaleddin Behzad, whose work was influenced by the poetry of Jami and Navoi. . Kamaleddin Behzad (1450-1535) - Persian miniaturist, head of the Herat and Tabriz miniature schools. In the works of Behzad, an exceptional attention to the daily life of a person appears. Behzad's paintings brought the art of miniature to its true heyday. Behzad is the most famous of the masters of Persian miniatures, he is called the "Eastern Raphael", but he became famous as the creator of a special pictorial style: geometric, using Sufi mysticism and color symbolism to convey meaning. Behzad was left an orphan at an early age and was taken in by the famous painter Mirak Nakkash, who headed the palace workshop in Herat for the production of artistic handwritten books (according to other sources, B.'s teacher was Seyid Ahmed Tabrizi). Behzad enjoyed the patronage of the Timurid vizier Mir Ali Shir Navei. He was favored by Hussein Beykar Timurid and other emirs of Herat. After the fall of the Timurid dynasty in 1510, he was called by Shah Ismail I Safavi to Tabriz where, as the head of the Shah's art workshops (since 1522) and court painter, he influenced the development of painting in the Safavid period.

He introduced new motifs into Persian painting. His miniatures are complex, but not intricate, colorful, but realistic. Remaining within the conventions of medieval miniatures (locality of color, flatness). Kamaleddin Behzad, in depicting man and nature, proceeded from living observations, embodying them with such force and persuasiveness that the eastern miniature did not know before him, the figures of people in his works are devoid of static, he managed to convey natural and realistic gestures and poses. His works, already highly valued by his contemporaries, are distinguished by a fine expressive drawing, richness of colors, liveliness of postures and gestures of the depicted people; often the composition unfolds on two adjacent sheets with a large number of characters and an abundance of precisely found details.

Kamaleddin Behzad The Seduction of Yusuf The most famous works of Behzad are “The Seduction of Yusuf” - illustrations for “Bustan” by Saadi (1488), miniatures for the works of Nizami (1494-95), especially illustrations for the poems “Leyla and Majnun” and “Seven Beauties”, portraits Sultan Hussein and Sheibani Khan

In the 13th-14th centuries. in Shiraz, the capital of Fars, there was a rapid development of culture. This was the period of Saadi, Kermani and Hafiz. Poetry flourished, miniature too. One of the most important works of the miniaturists of this period was the creation of illustrations for the Shahnameh, and this was done by a large group of artists in Shiraz. Shiraz iminiature of the 14th century. distinguished by a symmetrical composition, connection with wall paintings, a rough pattern, large figures of people, the predominance of gold, red and yellow tones. Often the drawing fit into the text, framing it, like a frame.

Aga Mirek, School of Tabriz Two Safavid Princes In the 16th century, poetry became extremely popular throughout Iran and Central Asia, which enriched the art of miniature with new themes. This was the beginning of a rapid development in all the schools of painting in Iran. The Tabriz miniature of that time serves as an example of skill brought to perfection in depicting a complex scene or landscape in a limited space, for example, a palace building with a part of the courtyard in front of it, an internal garden, a fragment of an interior. Artists carefully write out architectural structures, nature. The figures of people are no longer static, but full of movement and more natural. The Tabriz school flourished in the first half of the 18th century. with the coming to power of the Safavids.

Mohammad Shirazi Shahnameh illustration, 16th century Iranian literature has produced a large number of outstanding works that can inspire miniaturists. At the end of the 10th c. Firdousi created the immortal epic poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings) - the history of the country from the creation of the world to its conquest by the Arabs (7th century). There are about 50 thousand bayts (couples) in the poem.

Sultan Muhammad (late 1470s-1555) Miniaturist, head of the Tabriz school of miniatures. Agha Mirek's student. He worked in the Shah's library and was engaged in the artistic education of Shah Tahmasp I. The works of Sultan Muhammad - illustrations for Hafiz's "Divan", the end of Firdousi's "Shahnameh", Nizami's "Khamsa", individual miniatures - are distinguished by dynamism and exquisite harmony of composition, the finest decorative color, features of realistic expressiveness in the interpretation of the landscape, postures and gestures of people and animals. He also made numerous portrait miniatures, sketches of carpets depicting hunting scenes, and was engaged in jewelry business.

Reza Abbasi (1587-1629) Reza Abbasi (1587-1629) is a unique artist, the leading artist of the Isfagan school of painting, a master of virtuoso art, the son of the court painter Kali Ashgar and a student of the famous Musin. Having received an art education in his father's workshop, Abbasi was accepted to the court of Shah Abbas I in his youth. He performed genre scenes and portraits (including shepherds, peasants), rarely illustrations. His miniatures depict both noble courtiers and pampered effeminate youths, "slender as a cypress", as well as peasants and shepherds, in an impressionistic manner characteristic of the court painting of the Safavids.

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1 slide

Description of the slide:

The Art of Book Miniatures of the East Miniature is the name given to pictures filled with colors, headpieces, curly capital letters, ornamented page frames and, in general, illustrations of old manuscripts. This name comes from "minium" - red paint (cinnabar or minium), with which ancient calligraphers colored initials and marked headings in their manuscripts. The decoration of manuscripts with drawings was known in ancient times, among the Chinese, Indians, Persians, and other Eastern peoples. The Egyptians also used it very often, from whom many papyrus scrolls with hieroglyphic text and painted figures and ornaments scattered among it have come down to us. However, the miniature for the first time received the significance of a special artistic branch only among the Greeks. They handed it over, along with other fruits of their civilization, to Rome, where, since the time of Augustus, the custom has especially spread to supply luxurious lists of fictional and learned works assigned to noble and wealthy people with polychrome drawings that serve as an explanation of the text. The book miniature of the East is one of the remarkable phenomena in the fine arts of the peoples of the world. It reached its peak in the XIV-XVI centuries in such countries as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and India.

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Description of the slide:

IRANIAN MINIATURE Persian painting, known in the West as a miniature, is deservedly famous all over the world. Portraits, images of figures of holy persons or events were not prohibited, but were perceived disapprovingly by Islamic religious traditions. Perspective, volume, illumination - these terms were unknown to Iranian artists for a long time. Calligraphy, floral motifs and geometric compositions were the basis of all illustrations; polychromy was used only in ceramics. The painters were engaged in illustrating the texts of the Koran, scientific works, epic poems, legends, glorifying the achievements and exploits of rulers and heroes. this is how the art of miniature developed and improved. Fragment of a miniature from the Safavid period

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Description of the slide:

Painted tiles, first quarter of the 17th century Under the Achaemenids, works of arts and crafts - silver and gold vessels with chasing and engraving, jewelry, seals, coins - were decorated with plant motifs, images of animals, hunting scenes, martial arts of the king with the beast, heraldic motifs.

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Unknown artist, early 17th century. Dervish According to the legends that have come down to us, the first artist of Iran and the creator of the art of painting was the prophet Mani, the founder of the Gnostic religion of Manichaeism, who lived around 210-276. AD Mani's admirers believed that his paintings were created with the help of miracles. Later, the work of Iranian painters influenced the style of illustrations of Byzantine manuscripts, the manner of which began to get rid of the conventionality and excessive rigidity of the Christian style. The Iranian miniature is full of refined tenderness. There was a legend that craftsmen sometimes used a single hair as a brush. As far back as the 11th century, the Iranians were the undisputed masters of painting and remain so to this day.

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Muhammad Shirazi illustration for "Shahnameh", 16th century. Under the Mongol rulers in Iran, the artistic style of China was widely spread, numerous Chinese masters worked at the palaces of the rulers. Paper also came from there in 753 AD, so it is not surprising that the traditional Persian miniature, especially in the early period of its development, shows a strong influence of Chinese art. Basically, the miniature served as an illustration. This made it possible to supplement the artistic text with visual images, making reading and understanding the text easier and more enjoyable. The miniature, which has always developed at the intersection of literature and painting, combines the features of both artistic and poetic language.

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Unknown artist "Parliament of Birds", illustration for Attar's poem Iran's literature has produced a large number of outstanding works that can inspire miniaturists. Such a huge number of outstanding literary works gave impetus to the emergence of many miniature schools with their own unique style. Thanks to them, the art of miniature reached its peak precisely in Iran and Central Asia. The most influential schools were in Shiraz, Tabriz, Isfahan and Herat.

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Shiraz miniature of the 14th century. In the 13th-14th centuries. in Shiraz, the capital of Fars, there was a rapid development of culture. This was the period of Saadi, Kermani and Hafiz. Poetry flourished, miniature too. One of the most important works of the miniaturists of this period was the creation of illustrations for the Shahnameh, and this was done by a large group of artists in Shiraz. Shiraz miniature of the 14th century. distinguished by a symmetrical composition, connection with wall paintings, a rough pattern, large figures of people, the predominance of gold, red and yellow tones. Often the drawing fit into the text, framing it, like a frame.

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The Tabriz school At the end of the 13th century, when Rashidaddin gathered calligraphers and artists in Tabriz to copy and decorate manuscripts, the Tabriz school of miniature appeared. The early Tabriz miniature was significantly different from the Shiraz one, because combined oriental elements with the Armenian-Byzantine style of painting. This last influence can be explained by the geographical position of Tabriz, which is located on the border of the regions inhabited by Armenians. In the 30-40s. 14th c. miniatures for the Shahnameh were created, unique in the expressiveness of the depicted scenes (especially dramatic ones). In the 15th century the styles of the Tabriz and Shiraz schools converged, which is associated with the migration of artists after the conquest of Baghdad and Tabriz by Timur. Many miniaturists went to Samarkand, the capital of the conqueror, or to the court of his grandson, Sultan Iskander, ruler of Shiraz. In new places, the artists were forced, on the one hand, to adapt to the tastes and requirements already existing there, on the other hand, they tried to adhere to the pictorial manner that they were accustomed to in their homeland.

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Sultan Muhammad "Miraj" (Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad) Sultan Muhammad (late 1470s-1555), miniaturist, head of the Tabriz school of miniatures. Agha Mirek's student. He worked in the Shah's library and was engaged in the artistic education of Shah Tahmasp I. The works of Sultan Muhammad - illustrations for Hafiz's "Divan", the end of Firdousi's "Shahnameh", Nizami's "Khamsa", individual miniatures - are distinguished by dynamism and exquisite harmony of composition, the finest decorative color, features of realistic expressiveness in the interpretation of the landscape, postures and gestures of people and animals. He also made numerous portrait miniatures, sketches of carpets depicting hunting scenes, was engaged in jewelry and the production of semi-faience.

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Unknown artist of the school of Sultan Muhammad Playing chovgan, 1524. In the 16th century, poetry became extremely popular throughout Iran and Central Asia, which enriched the art of miniature with new themes. This was the beginning of a rapid development in all the schools of painting in Iran. The Tabriz miniature of that time serves as an example of skill brought to perfection in depicting a complex scene or landscape in a limited space, for example, a palace building with a part of the courtyard in front of it, an internal garden, a fragment of an interior. Artists carefully write out architectural structures, nature. The figures of people are no longer static, but full of movement and more natural. The Tabriz school flourished in the first half of the 18th century. with the coming to power of the Safavids.

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Herat school. Mirak Naqqash In the first half of the 15th century, an art school appeared in Herat, the capital of the Timurid state, where the best artists of Tabriz and Shiraz moved. The development of urban life and culture of feudal Herat created the necessary prerequisites for the flourishing of the art of miniature. Book illustration, being in stylistic unity with monumental painting and applied art, is acquiring hitherto unprecedented importance in the overall system of manuscript design. Already in early Herat, the miniature is distinguished by skill, confidence in the depiction of human figures, and the complexity of the composition.

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Creativity Kamaleddin Behzad Conversation of scientists in the madrasah, ill. to Saadi's "Bustan" The artists of Herat focused on depicting people, making the scene around them a mere accompaniment and framing. Fragrant nature, full of bright colors and flexible lines, a spring garden with flowering trees, lawns and streams bordered by lush greenery, architecture adorned with vegetation and geometric ornaments - all this forms a decorative background against which the main action unfolds. One of the most famous painters of the Herat school is Kamaleddin Behzad, whose work was influenced by the poetry of Jami and Navoi. In the works of Behzad, an exceptional attention to the daily life of a person appears. Behzad's paintings brought the art of miniature to its true heyday.

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The construction of the mosque Kamaleddin Behzad (1450-1535) - Persian miniaturist, head of the Herat and Tabriz miniature schools at the end of the Timurid era and the beginning of the Safavid rule. Behzad is the most famous of the masters of Persian miniatures, he is called the "Eastern Raphael", but he became famous as the creator of a special pictorial style: geometric, using Sufi mysticism and color symbolism to convey meaning.

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King Darius and the shepherds, illustration for "Bustan" Saadi Behzad was orphaned early and was taken in by the famous painter Mirak Nakkash, who headed the palace workshop in Herat for the production of artistic handwritten books (according to other sources, B.'s teacher was Seyid Ahmed Tabrizi). Behzad enjoyed the patronage of the Timurid vizier Mir Ali Shir Navei. He was favored by Hussein Beykar Timurid and other emirs of Herat. After the fall of the Timurid dynasty in 1510, he was called by Shah Ismail I Safavi to Tabriz where, as the head of the Shah's art workshops (since 1522) and court painter, he influenced the development of painting in the Safavid period.

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Seduction of Yusuf He introduced new motifs into Persian painting. His miniatures are complex, but not intricate, colorful, but realistic. Remaining within the conventions of medieval miniatures (locality of color, flatness), Kamaleddin Behzad, in depicting man and nature, proceeded from living observations, embodying them with such force and persuasiveness that Eastern miniatures did not know before him, the figures of people in his works are devoid of static, he managed to convey natural and realistic gestures and poses. His works, already highly valued by his contemporaries, are distinguished by a fine expressive drawing, richness of colors, liveliness of postures and gestures of the depicted people; often the composition unfolds on two adjacent sheets with a large number of characters and an abundance of precisely found details.

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Isfahan school Other outstanding miniaturists in Herat were Behzad's teacher and head of the Herat school Mirak Naqqash, Qasim Ali, Haja Mohammad Naqqash and Shah Mozaffar. The Isfahan school of miniature was formed at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. at the court of Shah Abbas I. The Isfahan school is characterized by the emergence of easel miniatures (on separate sheets), the predominant development of virtuoso drawing with a brush, with a slight highlight (Reza Abbasi). In it, along with book illustrations, portrait and genre miniatures are widely distributed on separate sheets collected in albums. The virtuosic drawing, executed with free strokes of the brush, with a slight tint, giving the figures volume and liveliness of movement, received the main significance. At the same time, traditional features were preserved in the miniature of the Isfagan school: the finest development of details, the widespread use of gold in the image of the background and in the ornament of clothes. An excellent example of the style of the Isfagan school is a miniature of the middle of the 17th century. "Kneeling Youth". The formation of the style of the Isfahan school is associated with the work of its largest representative, Reza Abbasi.

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Creativity of Reza Abbasi A kneeling youth, mid-17th century. Reza Abbasi (1587-1629) is a unique artist, the leading artist of the Isfagan school of painting, a master of virtuoso art, the son of the court painter Kali Ashgar and a student of the famous Musin. Having received an art education in his father's workshop, Abbasi was accepted to the court of Shah Abbas I in his youth. He performed genre scenes and portraits (including shepherds, peasants), rarely illustrations. His miniatures depict both noble courtiers and pampered effeminate youths, "slender as a cypress", as well as peasants and shepherds, in an impressionistic manner characteristic of the court painting of the Safavids.

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Portrait of a Portuguese Being an adherent of the traditional style of painting, Reza Abbasi introduced new subjects into Persian art. Reza Abbasi set the tone for the art of most of the seventeenth century, as for a long time young painters continued to copy his work in order to develop their own style. the figures become larger, the landscape receives a more realistic interpretation.

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Presentation - The Art of Book Miniatures of the East and Byzantine Mosaics

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Theme: The art of book miniatures of the East and Byzantine mosaics
Municipal budgetary educational institution Sadovskaya secondary school
MHC. Grade 8 Compiled by the teacher of Russian language and literature Efimova Nina Vasilievna

Checking homework. 1. Name the process of creating an icon. 2. What do you know about Rublev. 3. Tell us about one of the icons.

Byzantine mosaic art
Mosaic is a type of fine art that arose in the era of antiquity. The paintings are laid out from pieces of special glass - smalt.

The ancient Greeks called mosaics paintings dedicated to the Muses, because. Muses are eternal, then these pictures must also be eternal. Therefore, they were not painted with paint, but were collected from pieces of special glass - smalt.
Samples of ancient Greek mosaics

The development of the art of mosaic came from ancient Rome, where it was used in the decorative decoration of houses. In Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum, mosaics were discovered that adorned the walls, ceilings and floors of houses.
Fragments of mosaic decoration of houses in Pompeii
floor mosaic

The mosaics of Byzantium gained world fame. Masters have found their own ways of creating, using pieces of matte or transparent smalt with a gold lining. This allowed the rays of the sun or the light of a candle to flare, reflected in gold, purple and blue.
Baptism of Christ. Mosaic of the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady in Daphne. Around 1100

Fragments of the mosaic of the Church of San Vitale. 6th century Ravenna.
Emperor Justinian
Empress Theodora
The images on the walls of the temples told about the events and personalities of Christian history. Numerous images of Christ, prophets and angels, scenes from the Holy Scriptures and the glorification of the power of the emperor become the themes of Byzantine mosaics.

The golden background had a special meaning: a symbol of wealth and luxury. one of the brightest colors.
Christ Pantocrator. Mosaic. South Gallery of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople. Second quarter of the 12th century

The mosaics of Ravenna, a small city in northern Italy, are best preserved. In the temple of San Vitale (VI century), colored marble facings are presented, replaced by gilded mosaics. One of them depicts the solemn exit of Emperor Justinian with his retinue.
Emperor Justinian with retinue. Mosaic of the apse of the Church of San Vitale. 6th century Ravenna.

No less remarkable are the mosaics of the Church of the Assumption in Nicaea. The depicted angels amaze with the refined nobility of their appearance, their gaze, as if hypnotizing.
Angel. Fragment of the mosaic "Powers of Heaven".
The heavenly powers ΑΡΧΕ and ΔΥΝΑΜΙC. End of the 7th century Mosaic of the Church of the Assumption in Nicaea.

The art of mosaic from Byzantium came to us in Russia. Mosaic paintings of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and today are classified as genuine masterpieces of "shimmering painting".
Annunciation. Mosaic on the altar pillars. Saint Sophia Cathedral. Kyiv. 11th century
Eucharist. Mosaic of the main altar. Saint Sophia Cathedral. Kyiv. 11th century

The art of mosaic was not widely spread in Russia, only in the 18th century it was revived by M.V. Lomonosov. In 1752-1754. he created a huge (6.5 m long) mosaic picture “The Battle of Poltava.
Poltava battle. Mosaic of M.V. Lomonosov in the building of the Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg. 1752-1754

The art of book miniatures of the East
The book miniature of the East is one of the remarkable phenomena in the fine arts of the peoples of the world. It reached its peak in the XIV-XVI centuries in such countries as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and India.

In Muslim society, the book has a special attitude, it was perceived as a shrine and a jewel. Books were copied by hand by calligraphers, and miniaturists took part in their design. Artists enjoyed great respect and honor.
Book cover. Embossed leather, gold. c.1600 Iran.
Book miniature for "Shahnameh". Sleeping Rustam. 1515-22

The art of creating a book miniature is a complex and creative process: carefully smooth the paper, polish it, apply a drawing. paint it with paints diluted on egg yolk.
Book miniature for "Khamsa". Sultan Sanjar and the old woman. 1539-43

The beauty of the miniature was in the finest drawing, multi-color and bright saturation of color, in the expressiveness of the movements of the figures, in the exquisite simplicity and clarity of the rendering of the landscape and architectural structures. The art of book miniatures is conditional and decorative. It lacks chiaroscuro, it does not know perspective.
Mongolian miniature of the Akbar era. A woman is talking to a parrot. c.1565

The world of oriental miniature is an organic fusion of reality, fiction and symbolism. Her images are festive, full of joy and charm of life.
Azerbaijani miniature for "Khamsa". Ascent of Muhammad on Buraq from Mecca to heaven. 1494
Indian miniature "Babur-name". 16th century

Plots of Eastern book miniatures: historical legends, folk tales, scenes of magnificent royal receptions, scenes of feasts, hunting, battles, portraits of rulers on a throne or on horseback.
Iskander on the hunt. XVII century.
Acrobat competition. 1608-1611
Miniature of Azerbaijan. Fragment. XV-XVII centuries.

The largest center of miniature art was the Afghan city of Herat, where there was a unique library-workshop with many manuscripts (manuscripts). The most famous artist was K. Behzad (1450s - 1530s), who created a sophisticated decorative language of miniature painting,
Behzad. Seduction of Yusuf. Fragment. Miniature. "Bustan" Saadi. 1488

He worked in Herat from 1468 to 1506 and is recognized as one of the greatest masters of the Herat school of miniatures.
Behzad. Funeral of Ibn Salam. "Khamsa" Nizami. 1495-6
Behzad. Iskander and the seven wise men. Miniature. "Khamsa" Nizami. 1495-6

Miniature portraits of rulers brought him special fame. One of them shows the founder of the Uzbek state, Sheibani Khan, who subjugated Herat to his power. In this portrait, the talent of Behzad, a brilliant draftsman, colorist and subtle psychologist, was especially manifested.
Behzad. Portrait of Sheibani Khan. OK. 1507.

Fixing the material. What is a mosaic? What is smalt? What is the process of creating a book miniature? What are the plots of book miniatures of the East. The most famous artist who created a sophisticated decorative language of miniature painting. Whose miniature portrait brought him fame?

Literature. Textbook "World Artistic Culture". Grades 7-9: Basic level. G.I. Danilova. Moscow. Bustard. 2010 The world of artistic culture (lesson planning), Grade 8. Yu.E. Galushkina. Volgograd. Teacher. 2007 The world of artistic culture (lesson planning), Grade 8. N.N.Kutsman. Volgograd. Corypheus. year 2009. http://www.smalta.ru/istoriya-smalty/vizantiya/ Wikipedia - https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D1%81%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%81 %D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE_%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B8

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