Thursday, December 11, 2008

By the Light of Mysticism

By Ahmad Nadalian with the Painter's Association of Isfahan, "The Fall of Paradise: 19th Environmental Art Festival in Iran - Isfahan" - Payvand News - Iran

Friday, December 5, 2008

During the last week of October 2008, we organized the 19th Environmental Art Festival in Iran.

More than 60 artists participated in our new festival in the historic city of Isfahan. In the 17th century Isfahan was the capital of Persia. Hence it has many religious and secular buildings decorated with features, methods and styles unique to mural decoration. These arts influenced our environmental art.

Paradise (Pardis) is a celestial garden. The words of paradeisos in Greek, paradise in European languages, and firdaws in Arabic, originally came from Persia the "Avestan pairi-daeza" , meaning garden, itself was the terrestrial image of the celestial garden of paradise. The decorations of Safavid building show the manifestation of 'paradise'. The aesthetic value and beauty of Safavid art is a fruit of mysticism and spirituality of Sufism. Safavid art teaches that man can make his paradise in this world.

This art says:

man can see his God by his heart
and can show His beauty in his art

Safavid art is great, because it is illuminated by the light of mysticism, and because it creates hope, rapture and spiritual joy.

In this respect Persian mystical poetry is richer and much more profound, but the advantage of visual work is that it can be perceived by other nations and is not limited to a certain geography, culture and time.

Today the world's nations enjoy seeing Safavid tiles, miniatures, carpets, etc. No one has denied the beauty of the this mosque and its peacocks, because man loves beauty and its Divine quality.

The achievement of Safavid artists and the gift which they offered to us, is that they showed their mystical thought- concept of beauty, love and Unity- through image and pattern; and made it possible for us to see the spirituality of Sufism in the mirror of the visual art. Thanks are due to these artists, who, in their state of mind, could perceive and visualise such images and bring them to a secular world.

[Click on the title of the article for many more beautiful pictures]

[Visit the writer's web site http://www.wwwebart.com/riverart/ Ahmad Nadalian is an internationally known environmental artist].

No comments:

Thursday, December 11, 2008

By the Light of Mysticism
By Ahmad Nadalian with the Painter's Association of Isfahan, "The Fall of Paradise: 19th Environmental Art Festival in Iran - Isfahan" - Payvand News - Iran

Friday, December 5, 2008

During the last week of October 2008, we organized the 19th Environmental Art Festival in Iran.

More than 60 artists participated in our new festival in the historic city of Isfahan. In the 17th century Isfahan was the capital of Persia. Hence it has many religious and secular buildings decorated with features, methods and styles unique to mural decoration. These arts influenced our environmental art.

Paradise (Pardis) is a celestial garden. The words of paradeisos in Greek, paradise in European languages, and firdaws in Arabic, originally came from Persia the "Avestan pairi-daeza" , meaning garden, itself was the terrestrial image of the celestial garden of paradise. The decorations of Safavid building show the manifestation of 'paradise'. The aesthetic value and beauty of Safavid art is a fruit of mysticism and spirituality of Sufism. Safavid art teaches that man can make his paradise in this world.

This art says:

man can see his God by his heart
and can show His beauty in his art

Safavid art is great, because it is illuminated by the light of mysticism, and because it creates hope, rapture and spiritual joy.

In this respect Persian mystical poetry is richer and much more profound, but the advantage of visual work is that it can be perceived by other nations and is not limited to a certain geography, culture and time.

Today the world's nations enjoy seeing Safavid tiles, miniatures, carpets, etc. No one has denied the beauty of the this mosque and its peacocks, because man loves beauty and its Divine quality.

The achievement of Safavid artists and the gift which they offered to us, is that they showed their mystical thought- concept of beauty, love and Unity- through image and pattern; and made it possible for us to see the spirituality of Sufism in the mirror of the visual art. Thanks are due to these artists, who, in their state of mind, could perceive and visualise such images and bring them to a secular world.

[Click on the title of the article for many more beautiful pictures]

[Visit the writer's web site http://www.wwwebart.com/riverart/ Ahmad Nadalian is an internationally known environmental artist].

No comments: