Observations on the Aesthetics of Persian Painting

There are several studies pertaining to Perisian painting which explain its aesthetics on the basis of mysticism and the notion of imaginal world. This point of view bears some methodological problems. Some of the prominent scholars (Burckhardt, Nasr, Ringgenberg), refering to Ibn Arabi’s mystical notions, have tried to show that the specific aesthetics of Persian painting has been derived from the imaginal world. Our aime here is to show that establishing the aesthetics of Persian painting on the basis of imaginal world’s metaphysics lacking seriously the theoretical and methodological rigour. Firstly, Ibn Arabi and his heirs’ conception of imaginal world was first of all ontological (hierarchy of Being) and epistemological (knowledge of God). Secondly, there are not overwhelming proofs which could demonstrate that Persian painters were initiated to this notion. Thirdly, achieving to imaginal world through mystical intuition is conditioned by asceticism and purifying rituals, which are not necessarily familiar to Persian painters almost working in the court of Sultans. We will try to show that considereing these painting in themselves is the genuine way to establish their aesthetics principles.