Analysis of Eldar Mikayilzadeh's pictorial carpet of "Three Prophets" (Based on Panofsky’s iconology method)

Mikayilzadeh is one of the few contemporary artists of the Republic of Azerbaijan who uses religious themes and mystical texts in his works. The main feature of his works is dealing with religious issues, which can be seen in his paintings and carpet designs. However, his works are not limited to Islamic subjects. In some cases, the history and characters of other religions have also appeared in his works. In painting, he was a student of Behloulzadeh, an Azerbaijanied landscape artist. And he graduated in the field of carpet designing at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Art under the supervision of professors such as Karimov and Majiri Tabrizi.In order to examine one of his pictorial carpets on the subject of the history of the Abrahamic religions, this study tries to consider his thoughts, artistic expression and the process of using visual symbols in designing carpet. Therefore, this paper with paying attention to Mikayilzadeh's personal life and works, analyses this pictorial carpet based on Panofsky's iconology. The necessary information have been obtained through library and interview with the artist. The results show that Eldar has used several visual symbols to express his purpose. Symbols such as the cypress, the palm, the azure, the animal symbol such as the camel, as well as the selection of scenes from the lives of the prophets that have also symbolic expressions. The artist's acquaintance with the School of Safavid painting in Tabriz has the influence on both content and composition of his works.