Avicenna's Views On "Mohakat" In Painting

"Mohakat" is a central concept in Avicenna's thoughts on art. He uses this term as a translation for Aristotelian "mimesis". Since there have been different conceptions about Mohakat, or representation, in the history of thought, it should be asked that what is the meaning of Mohakat in painting according to Avicenna's views. In the studies that have been done about the aesthetics of Avicenna, poetry and music have been much considered, but Avicenna's viewson painting have not been so noticed.The present research seeks to provide a clear account of Avicenna's viewson the concept and the meaning of Mohakat in painting, and in other words, it determines the characteristic features of Mohakat in painting according to his views. It is tried to answer this question by examining Avicenna's scattered words about painting. In this study, the aesthetic views of Avicenna on Mohakat are summarized in three general themes: