Mostly Miniatures
Mostly Miniatures : An Introduction to Persian Painting Oleg Grabar
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691049998
Edition: Paperback; 2001-12-26
Summary:
The mention of Persian painting conjures up images of beautifully
illuminated manuscripts filled with tiny, intricate pictures, each a
miniature festival of color. Anyone who has seen Persian miniatures
up close will attest to their captivating power. In this book, the
renowned historian of Islamic art Oleg Grabar introduces Western
audiences to Persian painting, which consists primarily of miniatures
illustrating works of literature, but also includes murals and small
ceramics decorated with pictures. The masterpieces of this painting
have a visual richness that requires the use of the intellect as well
as the eye for their appreciation, and Grabar seeks to situate the
reader within their world, that of Islamic culture in Iran from the
Middle Ages to Modern times. Through a series of chapters on various
aspects of Persian painting, he helps us understand its history, the
characteristics that define it, and the delights to be discovered in
it.Grabar argues that this genre of painting offers a remarkable
example of how books are illustrated in general and of how an Iranian
secular taste emerged during centuries dominated by religious art. He
shows that the peculiarities of its historical background gave rise
to specific characteristics: striking colors, dematerialization of
space, subtle evocations of emotions, simultaneous lyricism and epic.
The qualities of Persian painting created a unique aesthetic mood
that is related to Persian poetry and Islamic mysticism.It was only
at the beginning of the twentieth century that the Western art world
began to discover Persian painting. Inspired by its use of pure
geometry and vivid palette, Matisse and Kandinsky were among the
first modernists to incorporate attributes of Persian art into their
work. And now, a century later, interest among museum-goers continues
to increase. The allure of Persian painting lies in its absorbing
complexities and in the surprising way it speaks to large questions
about the nature of art and the perception of its masterpieces.
Grabar has written an incomparable book that both explains and
re-creates the pleasures of this art.
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