Authorship and individuality in Isfahan Painting School

The possibility of the painter's emergence as an "author" in Isfahan Painting School is discussed in this paper from a sociological approach focusing on the modes of art production. Therefore, by adopting a descriptive-analytical method, on the one hand, historical documents related to the modes of painting production at that time, and on the other hand, the subjects and forms of the works of painters of the style of that school were examined. The historical evidence shows that the production of works was still done collectively in the court's libraries during this period. This incumbent closed system only allowed few people access to these works. Here, painting is not an independent medium; however, along with arts such as calligraphy and illumination, it serves the "verbal narrative". In this respect, illuminated books represent the authority of the "verbal arts". As a result, there is less context for the emergence of the "author" in paintings compared to the verbal arts.On the other hand, in these libraries, an "artwork" was not commissioned and wages were directly attributed to the "labor" of the master painter.The emphasis was more on the "quantity" of work than its mental "quality in this payment system". In other words, the multiplicity of productions was more important than the "idea" embedded in "each" work or the artist's particular creativity. In such contexts, valuation typically depends more on mechanical factors, such as the finesse of details, dimensions, number of figures in assemblies, and the material foundation of colors, rather than on the painter's "mental expression". In this process, "authorship" meant "aggregation" and "completion" rather than creativity.The findings indicated that there was a limited but influential current in Persian painting from the mid-Safavid era that could produce works to some extent independent of the court library. Numerous reports indicate the existence of an independent market for painting in that period, and some local rulers and wealthy people emerged as new buyers and commissioners during this period. Obviously, the mainstream painting depended on court libraries, but this new movement introduced a new force into the Persian painting tradition. However, the popularity of the production of single-page paintings in this period prepared the ground for ordering and purchasing artworks by more people, facilitating the differentiation of painting as a medium. In the same proportion that individual creativity and transient, monotonous mental designs were used in the painting style, "individuals," "faces," appeared more and more in the works. Also, Safavid historical texts also refer to the seclusion of the prominent painters of the time, which can show sparks of the "melancholy spirit" of the artist as a genius. The manifestation of this trend is especially evident in the works of Sadeghi Beyk and Reza Abbasi, two prominent painters of that time. The few surviving works in this style show sparks of the painter's position as an "author." Although it is impossible to delve deeply into the art economics of that time, Traces showed interesting examples of different styles in the Persian Painting tradition.