هنر اسلامی (Dec 2015)
The Language of the Paintings -Metaphoric Expression and Semiotic Moods- In the Meaningful Layers of the Paintings of the Tahmasepi Shahnameh
Abstract
Iranian paintings during its glorious years enjoyed a particular and gifted trait in the field of language and expression. An excellent case of this claim can be sought in a number of paintings of the Tahmasepi Shahnameh which belonged to the Safavid Tabriz school. In this article, the visual language and expression of two selected paintings taken from the Tahmasepi Shahname have been studied and analyzed. Today, in analytical and critical studies, linguistic theoretical devises which were once applied merely in literary criticism are becoming common among scholars and experts. In this paper, by using renowned theories of semiotics- sign moods, structural method of analysis, meaning levels, rhetorical terms such as metaphor and metonymy, the structure, form, denotations, connotations, pictorial metaphors and metonymies in two prominent historical artworks in the history of Iranian art will be focused upon. In other words, the expression and visual language and also the implied and visible meaning of these artworks will be revealed. Hence, in this study, two main chapters of the story of Siavash from the Shahnameh will focused upon: “Siavash passes the fire challenge” and the “the death of Siavash”. Initially, the main principals and notions will be focused upon and next the visual expressions of the paintings will be discussed upon based on the mentioned principals. The results of this study indicate that the narrative structure of the pictures is based on the opposition of the protagonist and antagonist and for connotation of the literary text, the metaphoric and allegoric expression and implicational meaning of pictorial signs have been used.
