Iran’s contemporary painting of derivations from one of Behzad’s miniatures (Yusuf of Escape from Zulaikha)

The analysis of the relationships among texts, that had attracted the attention of researchers from a long time ago, was formally and systematically theorized and presented by Kristeva and Barthes under the title of intertextuality theory in the twentieth century. Using Kristeva’s opinions, Genette named a variety of relationships between texts under the title of transtextuality and divided them into five categories one of which is hypertextuality. Current paper, in two parts- theoretical discussions and practical critiques, firstly addresses the analysis and explanation of the relationships of hypertextuality from Gérard Genette’s point of view and typology of such textual relations. Then, in the second part, three paintings of Iranian contemporary painters with approach to hypertextuality are analyzed. The reason of selecting these three paintings was their consideration and derivation from one of Behzad’s miniatures as a single hypotext, which provides the essential groundworks to generate hypertextual discussions and analyses. Current study is going to benefit from concepts which are considered in the analysis and study of Iran’s contemporary painting through observing artworks and using data descriptive-analytical method which is obtained from desk research about hypertextuality. Analyzing these artworks is an effort toward decoding them and finding a proper pattern to describe, criticize, and analyze Iran’s contemporary art and its relationship with traditional art. Genette’s hypertextual approach which is introduced after kristevian intertextuality could be very helpful in studying and criticizing some paintings. This approach addresses the study of such artworks that are established on the basis of connections among texts. In the current article, hypertextuality approach was used to study three Iranian contemporary paintings which were adapted from Kamal ud-Din Behzad’s miniature of the seduction of Yusuf. First, these three artworks are created based on derivation, so that these artworks would not emerged without Kamal ud-Din Behzad’s miniature. Second, each of these artworks exhibits a specific form of derivation. In other words, three aforementioned artworks were adapted, to some extent, from Kamal ud-Din Behzad’s miniature of Yusuf and Zulaikha. Therefore, some sort of drastic variety among these artworks indicates contemporary artists’ various statements and expectations. Third, hypertextual type of all three artworks were parodic, which means contemporary artists used Behzad’s artwork to be able to create a new artwork in order to express their own emotions and thoughts. Eventually, using indigenous and traditional hypotexts not only doesn’t restrain artists’ creativity but also, while providing an indigenous and comprehensible statement, helps to some kind of aesthetic identity proliferation, and of course, it will be accompanied with critiques and updates.