Critical Study of Burckhardt's view on Iranian Painting

Traditionalists are considered as one of the most influential intellectual movements in the purview of Islamic art. Titus Burckhardt is one of important thinkers who has interpreted Iranian paintings with a gnostic and mystic approach.The extent of his discussion in terms of time begins from the patriarchal period and continues until the second half of the sixteenth century. Now, the question is that can we get a correct understanding of the paintings with his interpretation? The aim of this essay is to find a closer understanding to Iranian paintings by criticizing Burckhardt's view. The findings of this research indicate that his view is faced with serious challenges and criticisms in three purviews of non- realism, eternal hecceities and the world of imagination. The research is conducted based on library sources, using analytical- descriptive method.