فصلنامه کیمیای هنر
پیاپی 1 (زمستان 1390)

The term “losing oneself” is among those concepts, like “intoxication, restlessness and wishlessness”, which have been repeated so many times in Rumi’s poems. They are contrasted with “being oneself”, restfulness, sobriety and wishfulness. The difference between what Rumi understands of these words and their contemporary meaning is of importance here. Today, what we perceive of their meaning is something experienced, rational and related to modern psychology and psychoanalysis, all of which are alien to perceptual, lingual culture of Rumi’s time. We are to survey the secret meanings of these words, which are typically set together in his poems, through his two major masterpieces, Divan-e-Shams and Masnavi-e-Ma’navi. In this Study we will gradually appreciate the inter-connection between these words and other terms in Sufism like annihilation, persistence, predestination, freedom, rapture, attraction, ecstasy etc. Finally, through this examination we will understand the meaning of art which also differs from what is discerned as cotemporary fine art.

The most important manifestations of architecture in Islamic world are mosques, through which Iranians have played a special role in depicting splendor, glory, and the beauties of the sacred heaven. The Khorasan School of Architecture, according to which Char Ivan mosque was built in Khorasan, gradually spread out across the Islamic countries and entered Indian subcontinent and Pakistan. During the Mongol dynasty in India, which has the summit of this school in Shahjahan era and is contemporary to the Isfahan School in Iran, a mosque construction is built and entitledWazirkhan which historians name it Khorasan Tomb. In this article we survey the mosque’s historical characteristics and features, using library studies and local sources along with fieldwork study, to show that in this architectural style there is a combination of the Khorasan School and decoration of the Isfahan School. This mosque is also a combination of “mosque-school”, and bazaar and a comprehensive imitation of Imam Reza’s Tomb Complex, Goharshad Mosque, religious schools and their attached bazaar. Regarding all this we’ll find out that this mosque is a symbol of Iranian cultural and artistic influence in Lahore, Pakistan.

Comparing to the Greek and Latin Fathers of the Church, in the aesthetic tradition of medieval centuries there is no standpoint about beauty more systematic than what is found in Pseudo-Dionysius’s works. He draws upon neo-Platonic philosophers’ thoughts, especially those of Proclus, for expressing his ideas. Like neo-Platonic philosophers, he believes in the metaphysical status of beauty. Accordingly, he begins his discussion with imperceptible issues, rather than perceptible ones, and then speaks of the emanation of perceptible beauty from pure beauty. Moreover, and contrary to the empirical tradition of the Greek in which the issue of beauty is located in an experimental realm, he situates the beauty in a meditative context; hence the beauty finds a mystical and secret aspect. Furthermore, he argues for the concept of light in aesthetics and adds the criterion of clarity to the conditions of beauty. These views of Dionysius have affected both Western and Eastern Christian aesthetics. In Latin tradition he was a source of influence for Eriugena, Hugh of Saint-Victor, Suger of Saint-Denis and Thomas Aquinas; in Byzantine tradition the proponents of icons made utmost use of his works in such a way that his works were the second point of reference after the Bible.

Perhaps, the main common aspect in three fundamental perspectives, namely that of art work, artist and audience, is their united convergence in expressing this general axiom: “The Art is Expression”. This essential “Expressive” dignity in many ages and in various cultures can be diverted to “Expressionism”. For example, Opera Music was the conscious representation of reality, or Romantic Music in the 19th century, was generally a transparent explanation of composer’s emotions. According to many thinkers, Expressionism in music occurs when the music is entitled with optional name or accompanied with poems or images. This abstracted meaning of Expression (Expressionism) is related with General meaning of Expression. This Paper, will first present the ontological study of “Expression” and “Expressionism” foundation in music based on descriptive approach. Then, the mentioned descriptive variables are being described in visual Arts. For earning a more exact study, two new terms of “Subjective Expression” and “Objective Expression” are generated by the author and possible interaction between these two terms in fine arts is being argued. Moreover, the subject of transition of expression will be described in music and the author will offer new survey about “Satisfying Parity” in musical cognitions. Consequently, it is concluded that the music is more talented than other arts in transforming and devolving the “objective expression” and “subjective expression” to each other. This might be concluded that, due to volatile- synchronic essence of music, it is different from other visual art.

It seems that there is no Fotovatnameh (Chivalry Epistle) for musicians. The lack of such books can be interpreted as the lack of one united guild for them. And yet, if there has been a guild for them, it is possible that the religious sanctity of music forbade its members to write a Fotovatnameh. But in some treatises on music, some parts or chapters are dedicated to “musical advices” or to the “conduct in this noble art” or “the manner in chamber music” which following Qaboosnameh we will generally name it as “minstrelsy ritual”. These topics can be classified in two categories: first, some suggestions and practices for improving technical abilities; second, moral advices for the manners in chambers and gatherings, like secrecy, cheerfulness, modesty, honesty, and avoiding greed, vanity and jealousy, the sort of which can be found in other guilds’ Fotowatnamehs.

This article is to discuss the status and importance of Ferdowsi in Persian painting. The core question concerns to the place that Ferdowsi has in Persian Paintings? What aspect or aspects of this Persian poet have attracted the painters and how they have showed these aspects? On the basis of this, and through meditation on Persian paintings, those painting in which Ferdowsi is depicted are selected to characterize Ferdowsi’s personality by reading the inter-connected links between textual and pictorial works. In the course of this essay we will expose that two main attributes of Ferdowsi, namely his elocutionary style and his free spirit, have been of great value to the artists and their main sources for artistic or literary creation.

This essay is another phenomenological response to the old and familiar question of “what is art”. What is the origin of art and what mechanisms are engaged in its creation? To answer these questions we first trace the unconscious forms and reveal the structural connection between art, myth and dream only to finally find what ails the new and modern art.