Painting In Late Medieval And Early Modern Iran And Beyond

In the course, the evidence for a fresh start of painting in Iran after the Mongol invasion is reviewed, as well as the process of refinement and attrition which followed and which, over the 14th century, resulted in the formation of the classical Persian style of miniature painting. Approaching manuscript illustration of the 14th – 16th centuries, the analysis focuses on programmatic cycles of images, reflection of religious-philosophical ideas, and the impact of the decorative function on the visual aesthetics. In the second part of the course, the separation of the image from the text is discussed as well as the development of new branches of miniature painting in the Persianate cultures of the Ottoman Empire, Central Asia, and Mughal India.