Wisdom And Philosophy

an analytical-critical description of the concept of the Mundus Imaginalis or the Imaginal in the reading and interpretation of Iranian painting.

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Monireh Panjtani 1
Mehdi Mohammadzadeh 2
Shahriar Shokrpour, 3
Muhammad Asghari 4

1 Ph.D. Candidate Art study, Islamic Art, Crafts Faculty, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.

2 Faculty of Fine Arts Atatürk University

3 Assistant Professor, Art study, Islamic Art, Crafts Faculty, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.

4 Associate Professor - Faculty ofProfessor of Philosophy at Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages -University of Tabriz Persian Literature and Foreign Languages

https://doi.org/10.22054/wph.2024.79361.2237
Abstract
Which thinkers and with what interpretational purposes have put forward the concept of the imaginal in the reading of Iranian painting? What new possibilities have they opened up and what obstacles have they brought forth with the frequent reference to the imaginal in the interpretation of Iranian painting? The research method is descriptive-analytical and critical mainly developed through description, comparison, finding untenable claims in other research sources, lack of examples of painting works, and unprovable and frequent propositions, as well as raising critical questions. In addition to showing the theoretical and methodological shortcomings of this field study, the research aims to emphasize some other possible readings. I will proceed to explore the ideas of Titus Burkhart and Seyed Hossein Nasr, as well as Dariush Shaygan and Majid Akhgar (phenomenological approach) to conclude as follows: Burkhardt and Nasr, by using the concept of the imaginal and suspended forms about Iranian painting, did not try to discover the world of this genre. They instead sought to exemplify their previous ideas about tradition, Islam, and art in general. Their references are often unsubstantiated. Concerning the phenomenological tendency, Shayegan and Akhgar’s phenomenological approach does not go beyond Corbin's and traditionalists' views. Akhgar's reference and use of the concept of the imaginal is mainly based on Shayegan's texts. The distinguishing feature of Akhgar's interpretations is juxtaposing survival/annihilation and timelessness/temporality in the world of imagination, the attribution of which to Iranian paintings cannot be rejected. However, he follows the line of Shayegan and Nasr, in general.

Keywords

Iranian painting
the Mundus Imaginalis
Islamic art
traditionalism
phenomenology
Subjects
Abolghassemi, Mohammadreza, "Critical Remarks on “Mystical Aesthetics, The Case of Persian Painting", Kimiya-ye-Honar, Fourth Year, No. 17, pp32-43, 2016.  http://kimiahonar.ir/article-۱-۵۹۴-fa.html
- Abolghassemi, Mohammadreza, "Painting and Society The Formation of the Persian Painting in the 14th Century", Kimiya-ye-Honar, Seventh Year, No. 29, pp 4-18, 2019.
http://kimiahonar.ir/article-۱-۱۴۱۸-fa.html
Azhand, Ya'qub. (2008). The Herat School of Painting. Tehran: Academy of Arts. [In Persian]
Azhand, Ya'qub. (2015). The Tabriz School of Painting and "Qazvin-Mashhad". Tehran: Academy of Arts. [In Persian]
Azhand, Ya'qub. (2020). Iranian Painting: A Study on the History of Painting and Illumination in Iran. Tehran: SAMT. [In Persian]
Akhgar, Majid. (2012). Fani va Baghi: A Critical Introduction to the Study of Iranian Painting. Job: Artist. [In Persian]
Burckhart, Titus. (2013). Islamic Art: Language and Expression. Translated by Masoud Rajabnia. Tehran: Soroush. [In Persian]
Corbin, Hanry. (2012). Spiritual and Philosophical Perspectives of Iranian Islam: Suhrawardi and the Platonic Persians. Translated by Ensha'Allah Rahmati. Tehran: Sophia. [In Persian]
Corbin, Henry. (2020). Creative Imagination in Ibn Arabi. Translated by Ensha'Allah Rahmati. Tehran: Sophia. [In Persian]
Gardner, Helen. (2015). Art Through the Ages. Translated by Mohammad Taghi Faramarzi. Tehran: Negah. [In Persian]
Grabar, Oleg. (2017). A Review of Iranian Painting. Translated by Mehrdad Vahdati Daneshmand. Tehran: Academy of Arts. [In Persian]
Hanaei-Kashani, Mohammad Saeed. (2009). Hermeneutical Approaches to Islamic Art. Published in Essays on the Nature of Islamic Art. Edited by Hadi Rabiei. Tehran: Academy of Arts. [In Persian]
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. (2010). Spirituality and Islamic Art. Translated by Rahim Qasemian. Tehran: Hekmat. [In Persian]
Pakbaz, Rouin. (2015). Encyclopedia of Art. Volume Two. Tehran: Farhang Moaser. [In Persian]
Panjtani, Monireh. (2021). "A Reflection on the Possibilities and Obstacles of Henry Corbin's Phenomenological-Hermeneutical Framework in Reading Iranian Painting." Scientific-Professional Quarterly of Wisdom and Knowledge Information, Year 16, Issue 3, No. 160, pp. 61-69. [In Persian]
Panjtani, Monireh, & Mohammadzadeh, Mahdi. (2023). "The Wisdom of Earth: The World of Meaning in the Shiraz-Behbahan School Paintings from Henry Corbin's Phenomenological-Hermeneutical Perspective with Reference to Zoroastrian Texts of Ancient Iran." Journal of Philosophical Studies, University of Tabriz, Vol. 17, No. 44, December 2023, pp. 150-178. [In Persian]
https://doi.org/10.22034/jpiut.2023.55014.3457
Panjtani, Monireh, & Shokrpour, Shahryar. (2023). "The History of Souls: The World of Meaning in Several Folios of Iranian Painting Focused on Keykhosrow from Henry Corbin's Phenomenological-Hermeneutical Philosophy with an Emphasis on the Concept of Allegorical History." Islamic Mysticism Journal. [In Persian]
[DOI: 10.2234/ERFAN.2023.701151]
(DOI: 10.2234/ERFAN.2023.701151)
Piravi-Vanak, Marzieh. (2018). "Methodological Critique: Islamic Philosophical Theories in the Field of Art and Architecture Studies." Journal of Theology of Art, No. 14, pp. 5-18. [In Persian]
Piravi-Vanak, Marzieh. (2019). "Phenomenology as a Way of Research and Thought." Journal of Philosophical Studies, University of Tabriz, Year 13, Issue 29, pp. 127-144. [In Persian]
https://doi.org/10.22034/jpiut.2019.28780.2061
Rahmati, Ensha'Allah. (2015). Art and Spirituality: A Collection of Articles on the Wisdom of Art. Tehran: Academy of Arts. [In Persian]
Shayegan, Daryoush. (2008). Asia Against the West. Tehran: Amir Kabir. [In Persian]
Shayegan, Daryoush. (2001). Idols of the Mind and Eternal Memory. Tehran: Amir Kabir. [In Persian]
Shayegan, Daryoush. (2016). In Search of Lost Spaces: (A Collection of Articles Related to Visual Arts). Tehran: Farhang Moaser. [In Persian]
Saeidi-Zadeh, Mohammad Javad. (2021). "A Critical Analysis of Burckhardt's Perspective on Iranian Painting." Scientific Journal of Javidan Kherad, No. 40, Autumn and Winter 2021, pp. 89-118. [In Persian]
https://journalsirip.com/index.php/javidankherad/article/view/835
[DOI: 10.22034/IW.2021.287982.1531]
(DOI: 10.22034/IW.2021.287982.1531)
Smith, David Woodruff. (2014). Phenomenology: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Translated by Masoud Alia. Tehran: Qoqnous. [In Persian]
Wisdom And Philosophy
Volume 20, Issue 79
Summer 2024
Pages 61-96

Home

Editorial Board

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us