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

miniature (lat. minium- red paint) - a small-sized graphic or pictorial work used to design a book. The same phrase is also called the art of creating such images. Initially, miniatures were called illustrations and headpieces made in handwritten books using gouache or watercolor. This kind of art reflected the desire of artists to visually display the images of literary plots and heroes that the people loved.

Book miniature of the Ancient East

The art of creating miniatures was very well known to the masters of the Ancient East. It was especially widespread in those countries where the ban on the image of living beings was not too strict. Such drawings for book design were once used by the masters of Iran, India, the Middle East and Central Asia. At the moment, illustrated books are known that were published as early as 977. They were released on the territory of Afghanistan and Northern India during the reign of the Ghaznavids and Fatimids. After the fall of the latter in 1171, the art of creating an illustrated book migrated to Baghdad, whose rulers did their best to promote the development of various kinds of arts.

At this time, oriental masters create mainly explanatory drawings for books of scientific content. As an example, we can cite illustrations for the famous treatise of Dionysius "Pharmacology", which was completed in 1222 by the artist Abdallah ibn al-Fadl. In fiction, illustration began to be used somewhat later. The first experience can be called pictures for Maqamam al-Hariri, made in 1237 by the master Yahya ibn Mahmud. Book miniatures reached their peak during the reign of the Iranian Ilkhan dynasty (1256-1353). At this time, Tabriz became the main cultural center of the Middle East. The masters of this particular city illustrated the Book of Kings (Shah-Nameh). During the reign of the Timurid dynasty (XV century), the development of oriental miniatures continues actively. For example, from 1405 to 1447, the artist Mahmud, commissioned by Sultan Sharkhukh, made 38 miniatures of illustrations for the poem by Nizami Khamsa. These wonderful drawings have survived to this day. Today they can be seen in the Hermitage.

Antique European book miniature

The miniature as a type of illustration was well known to the masters of ancient Egypt. Drawings explaining the plot of the books were made by them with a pen using opaque paints. The illustration of the 4th - 6th centuries quite reliably conveyed the image of figures and chiaroscuro. A very large contribution to the development of book miniatures of this time was made by Byzantine artists, who preserved the traditions of the Late Antique period until the 10th century. For the images performed by them, some flatness and conventionality are characteristic. But at the same time, it was the Byzantines who came up with the idea of ​​​​performing images of immediate life scenes. In the Middle Ages, the miniature was actively used by European masters. In the 5th-8th centuries, a special planar type of miniature began to develop, richly decorated with unusually peculiar ornaments of birds and fish.

During the reign of the Carolingians (VIII - IX centuries), European masters performed both traditional late antique illustrations and expressive pen drawings. Starting from the 10th century, the miniature begins to experience a huge influence of Byzantine art. Images become flatter and more expressive. In the XIII - XV centuries. artists mostly use the most realistic images. Such famous artists as Jacquemard d'Eden, A. Bonev, the Limburg brothers are fond of miniature.

Miniature of Ancient Russia

Unfortunately, during the time of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, a huge number of works of Russian art were lost. To date, only three manuscripts are known dating from the 11th century, decorated with illustrations - the Ostromir Gospel (Kyiv, 1056-1057), the Palace manuscript (selection) of Svyatoslav (1073) and the Prayer Book of Gertrude, brought from Poland by the wife of Prince Izyaslav and supplemented five miniatures made in the Byzantine style already in Kyiv. This style dominated Russian illustration until the 15th century. In addition to Byzantine, Greek and South Slavic traditions had a great influence on Russian miniatures. At the end of the XV century. in Russia, a completely special remarkable single Moscow style begins to take shape. A distinctive feature of the miniature of subsequent centuries can be called the attraction to icon painting traditions. In the 16th century, such well-known works as “The Legend of the Mamaev Battle” and “The Trojan War” were created - illustrations used in the Personal Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible.

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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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Text content of presentation slides: The Art of Oriental Book Miniatures Miniature is a 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 fiction and scholarly 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 visual arts peoples of the world. It reached its peak in the XIV-XVI centuries in such countries as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and India. A fragment of a miniature from the Safavid period. 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. 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. Unknown artist of the 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. Back in the 11th century, the Iranians were the undisputed masters of painting and remain so to this day. Muhammad Shirazi, illustration for the 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Unknown artist of the school of Sultan MuhammadPlaying 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. 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. 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. 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 Safavids. Behzad is the most famous of the Persian miniature masters, he is called the "Eastern Raphael", but he became famous as the creator a special visual style: geometric, using Sufi mysticism and color symbolism to convey meaning. 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. Seduction of Yusuf He introduced new motifs into Persian painting. His miniatures are complex, but not intricate, colorful, but realistic. Remaining within the framework of 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 oriental 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. 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. 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. 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. Couple in love Seated young man Georgian prince The evolution of Abbasi's art, based on the traditions of painting by Muhammadi, one of the greatest miniaturists in Tabriz, is marked by a transition from poetically peaceful compositions, where the silhouettes of figures are outlined by a smooth and smooth closed line, as if isolating the figure from the environment, to sheets full of deep inner tension, sharply expressive portraits. Shepherd The dashed line, the sharpness of which is emphasized by the softness of tonal transitions, reveals the plasticity of the figures, their connection with the surrounding space. Creativity of Muin Musavvir A young man playing the flute Muin Musavvir (1617-1708) is one of the most talented and prolific miniaturists of the 17th century, a student of Reza Abbasi. Most of Musavvir's works are illustrations for manuscripts, primarily for Firdousi's "Shahnameh" (during the 1690s he created 21 miniatures for "Shahnameh"), miniatures on separate sheets. Fountain of Life illustration for "Shahnameh" Musavvir's beginnings were marked by the influence of Reza Abbasi's miniatures, but he soon developed his own style. An example of the characteristic style of Musavvir is the illustration to the "Shahnameh" "Div Akvan raises Rustam" (middle 17th century). Div Akwan raises Rustam The artist's most famous miniatures are a young man playing a flute (1676), a portrait of the court physician Hakim Shafaa (1674), a portrait of Sultan Itimad-al-Doula, "a young man in an orange dress". Moti Ali Modern miniature In the 17th century. Enterprising merchants and ambassadors of foreign dejas began to import European works of art to Iran, which opened up a new technique of writing for Persian artists, which they combined with the traditional style. In the 1670s there was a direction that developed under the influence of European painting. Its representatives (artists Mohammed Zaman, Ali-Kuli-bek, Jabadar, etc.) in their works, often on the themes of Christian mythology, used black and white modeling of faces and clothes, linear and aerial perspective in depicting landscape backgrounds. By the beginning of the 18th century this "Europeanizing" direction becomes predominant.