Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Miniature OR Negargari ?
The term “miniature” is commonly used for the ancient persinate style of paintings. Miniature-as a word- has a French origin, and in the second half of this century, (roughly from Ghajarian dynasty) it enters to today’s Persian language. Miniature is the shortened form of the French word mini-mom-natural and it means small/minimum nature. And the term is not limited to use only for the Persianate or others nation’s “miniature” paintings, but also it refers to any artistic minimal decorative object with any style or method.
There are two main reasons of why the word Miniature appears in Persian language. One is that, the influences of the European style in Persianate paintings starts from 18th century, as it expends more during the 19th till it will be completely known as the Classical style of painting in Iran since the beginnings of 20th century. For instance, the paintings of Zandieh or Ghajarie dynasty and Kamal al-molk, the well-known realistic painter, are among those classical European styles.
The second reason is, that because of the attention of Orientalist researchers toward Iran, and the French archaeology’s groups came to Iran in the beginning of the 20th century. During their research and diggings of ancient places, they found and gathered handwritten books with ancient miniature and pieces of old persianate paintings and in this research, they made the Miniature word common. In 1940, with the order of Rezashah, in order to renewal and restoration of national Iranian arts, the “Ancient Arts Institute” establishes and it offers many different courses of old Persian arts. There was a very lengthy discussion about the word “miniature” and as a result they assigned the word “Naghashi” to the classical way of painting and for ancient persianate painting they decide to use that same European term, miniature and since that time, there was academically Miniature classes in that institute and little by little the term becomes common in Farsi, until today everyone knows its meaning and has an understanding of it and it is commonly used for both ancient and new “miniature” paintings, that according to Pakbaz, it has been accepted as a common mistake.
Roeen Pakbaz, a Persian art historian, in Art Encyclopaedia, defines the term miniature as a western expression and he believes that although by definition, miniature refers to the paintings and portraits of small sizes, but it is mainly using for the art of Illustrating and gilding of the Persianate manuscript books. So in this point of view, the term miniature is a misleading and inexpressive term for describing the ancient Persianate paintings. Negargari is the terms that Pakbaz suggests.
There are two main reasons of why the word Miniature appears in Persian language. One is that, the influences of the European style in Persianate paintings starts from 18th century, as it expends more during the 19th till it will be completely known as the Classical style of painting in Iran since the beginnings of 20th century. For instance, the paintings of Zandieh or Ghajarie dynasty and Kamal al-molk, the well-known realistic painter, are among those classical European styles.
The second reason is, that because of the attention of Orientalist researchers toward Iran, and the French archaeology’s groups came to Iran in the beginning of the 20th century. During their research and diggings of ancient places, they found and gathered handwritten books with ancient miniature and pieces of old persianate paintings and in this research, they made the Miniature word common. In 1940, with the order of Rezashah, in order to renewal and restoration of national Iranian arts, the “Ancient Arts Institute” establishes and it offers many different courses of old Persian arts. There was a very lengthy discussion about the word “miniature” and as a result they assigned the word “Naghashi” to the classical way of painting and for ancient persianate painting they decide to use that same European term, miniature and since that time, there was academically Miniature classes in that institute and little by little the term becomes common in Farsi, until today everyone knows its meaning and has an understanding of it and it is commonly used for both ancient and new “miniature” paintings, that according to Pakbaz, it has been accepted as a common mistake.
Roeen Pakbaz, a Persian art historian, in Art Encyclopaedia, defines the term miniature as a western expression and he believes that although by definition, miniature refers to the paintings and portraits of small sizes, but it is mainly using for the art of Illustrating and gilding of the Persianate manuscript books. So in this point of view, the term miniature is a misleading and inexpressive term for describing the ancient Persianate paintings. Negargari is the terms that Pakbaz suggests.
.
.
.
.
.
The root of the word is Negar, (negargar=painter negare=painting),
negar, which also, is a girl’s name too, it has two meanings in Persian language: Drawing(Naqsh), and the second and older meaning of the word Negar is Idol(Bot, Sanam), loved ones.
.
.
.
.
In ancient Iran, idolatry was not common, because according to the Zoroterians it was not appreciated. But, before the Islam, the eastern lands of Iran, particularly Khorasan was one of the important places of gatherings and expanding beliefs of Hindu and Buddhists, and of course adoring idols and having and making temples for them, were common in that area. Even, the name of one of the greatest cities of that area, Bokhara, in fact was “Vihare” that means “Buddhist temple”. And it shows that how much the temples were famous that it became the name of the city. In that time, the idols were very famous for their gorgeous, incredibly beautiful and splendour look, and because usually they were so carefully carved and shaped in the best way and often times with different decorations or painting them, so since many times ago, they were symbol of love, beauty, perfection, both in love poems or spiritual literature and they call the loved ones, Bot, Negar, Sanam (metaphoric or literal). I think the meaning of Negar as idol, implies the decorative aspect of miniature, that maybe they are amazingly beautiful as the idol is incredibly beautiful that made people to adore those lifeless objects! It has a metaphoric meaning. If we consider idol, Bot, as the symbol of beauty, love in that period; maybe I can say that they call these paintings Negargari to imply an “adorable” beauty for them (?)
Unfortunately I could not find any information about the word “Negargari” that since when this term were commonly used as the name of these paintings and that made me to say that only by knowing the fact that Negargari is common in Iran now and today, does not prove that it has an older history than the term Miniature, because I could not find any evidence that which one of these terms, “miniature” and “negargari” has an older origin, however, to me, it seems that Negargari as Miniature does not have a very old history of using and it is a contemporary term, because it has not mentioned in any of records that has remained from those ancient times.
In ancient Iran, idolatry was not common, because according to the Zoroterians it was not appreciated. But, before the Islam, the eastern lands of Iran, particularly Khorasan was one of the important places of gatherings and expanding beliefs of Hindu and Buddhists, and of course adoring idols and having and making temples for them, were common in that area. Even, the name of one of the greatest cities of that area, Bokhara, in fact was “Vihare” that means “Buddhist temple”. And it shows that how much the temples were famous that it became the name of the city. In that time, the idols were very famous for their gorgeous, incredibly beautiful and splendour look, and because usually they were so carefully carved and shaped in the best way and often times with different decorations or painting them, so since many times ago, they were symbol of love, beauty, perfection, both in love poems or spiritual literature and they call the loved ones, Bot, Negar, Sanam (metaphoric or literal). I think the meaning of Negar as idol, implies the decorative aspect of miniature, that maybe they are amazingly beautiful as the idol is incredibly beautiful that made people to adore those lifeless objects! It has a metaphoric meaning. If we consider idol, Bot, as the symbol of beauty, love in that period; maybe I can say that they call these paintings Negargari to imply an “adorable” beauty for them (?)
Unfortunately I could not find any information about the word “Negargari” that since when this term were commonly used as the name of these paintings and that made me to say that only by knowing the fact that Negargari is common in Iran now and today, does not prove that it has an older history than the term Miniature, because I could not find any evidence that which one of these terms, “miniature” and “negargari” has an older origin, however, to me, it seems that Negargari as Miniature does not have a very old history of using and it is a contemporary term, because it has not mentioned in any of records that has remained from those ancient times.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Works Cited:
"Naghashi-e-Irani" by Roeen Pakbaz.
"Mardom-va-Honar" Magazine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)