Hirsch's Hermeneutical Approach in the Analysis of Painting (The case of Joseph and Zlykha Painting of Behzad)

Hermeneutics is a method for conceptual analysis of phenomena. Hirsch is one of the most famous hermeneutician. In his books، he argues that the author’s intention must be the ultimate determiner of meaning. He popularized the distinction between “meaning” (as intended by the author) and “significance” (as perceived by a reader or critic) and argued for the possibility of objective knowledge in the humanities and social sciences. In this paper by exploring the ideas of Hirsch، we try to present the main aspects of his hermeneutical theory and see if it can be applied in the analysis of painting. As a case، the painting “Joseph and Zlykha” of Kamal al-Din Behzad is analyzed by Hirsch’s approach. This case shows us that how this approach can be used to analyze other works of art، especially paintings. The purpose of this paper is to establish the art of hermeneutics to understand the intended meaning of authors.