Semiotic Analysis of style in three illustrations of Shahnameh entitled " Bahram kills a dragon"

Semiotics is concerned with the study of sign systems in social life. Semiotic theories are quite functional in the domain of analyzing artistic and pictorial works. In analysis of a visual text and style of works of art, semiotics approach shades of meanings of a text. Artistic creation objectifies beauty and in Persian painter’s view the realm of beauty is synonymous with the ideal world. Space in Persian painting is a manifestation of the divine space and the artist in expressing it does not use a realistic language since his language is a language of sign and symbol. The purpose of this article is the comparative study of three paintings with the common title of “Bahram Gur kills a dragon” in three Shahnamehs, Sultan Abu Saeid (dated 730 HG), Shiraz School Shahnameh (dated 771 HG Kept at Top Kopi museum in Istanbul), and Mashhad-Qazvin School Shahnameh (dated 988 HG) respectively using semiotic and stylistic approach. First theideal world and its influence and reflection on the illustrations are discussed, then symbolic signs, figures and profiles in them are studied and in between, implicit meanings of dragon and theme of dragon killing are analyzed. Also Bahram’s character in myth and history are dealt with. The nature of this research is comparative, descriptive, and analytic. The outcome of the study shows that although the painter in portraying the original poetry is faithful, meanwhile he has not been a mere follower of the text but with choosing a selected part of the poem, he mingles it with imagination and artistic traditional values of his own era and in this way he presents his own creative portrayal of these themes