A Comparative Study on the Mural of Judgment Day in a Tomb at Licha (Gilan Province) and “The Judgment Day” Canvas by Mohammad Modabber

Works of art with religious themes have always been a means of propagation of religious beliefs and been indicative of interest of Shi’ites in Islam and the Quranic traditions. In the meantime, themes relating the Judgment Day and the resurrection, narrations from the Judgment Day, the resurrection of the dead and auditing the deeds on the Judgment Day are the topics much discussed in the Holy Quran. Among these, religious murals are considered as important platforms for the visual representation of such themes. In this research, it is intended to study the various dimensions of these works based on a comparative approach. The question to be answered is as follows: What are the common features in the mural painting in the tomb at Licha and the canvas painted by Mohammad Modabber (as case studies)? The results indicate that, in addition to the impact of religious themes on the human soul, the role and substantial presence of the Holy Quran in the lives of Muslims has been of deep significance in Islamic era. By looking at images with the theme of the hereafter, Muslims would actually remind themselves that one day their deeds are to be audited. In addition to the differences seen in both works, there are visual similarities as well, which is not simply because of the common theme addressed, but due to paying attention to Quranic themes and narrations popular among the people in line with their Shi’ite beliefs. This has been manifested with clarity and simplicity in the form of expressing the spiritual concept of Judgment Day in such illustrations.