A Study on the Theme of Reza Abbasi's Works in his Third Period of Life (Based on Historical Contexts)

The works of the third period of Reza Abbasi's life, which are related to the time of his return to the court, have not been yet extensively studied. By reviewing the political, religious, literary, intellectual, and economic situation, this article intends to answer the following questions that what is the meaning and meaning of the works of the third period of Reza Abbasi's life, and what difference do they show in the artist's approach compared to the first and second periods of his life? The works of this study consist of five paintings including: "Golgasht with Ashrafzadeh (right)", "Golgasht with Ashrafzadeh (left)", "Golgasht in the desert", "Lovers and old man" and "Thief, poet, and Dogs ”. They have been purposefully selected as a perfect example of the artist's dominant approach in the third period of his life. This research is considered fundamental in terms of purpose, and with an interpretive-historical method and collecting information from library sources, including primary sources and new research, it has analyzed the subject. The results show that the works of the third period of Reza Abbasi's life express a dual and critical approach to life, part of which is derived from the experiences of the period away from the court. Reza Abbasi's time is a very important period in the history of Iran from a political, social, and artistic point of view due to its coincidence with the reign of Shah Abbas. The abundance of articles and research about the life and works of Reza Abbasi shows his importance in the history of Iranian art. Despite leaving and rejoining the court, he is an artist who has been revered by prominent figures of his time. Nevertheless, a series of contradictions rooted in the past and the events of that time raises many issues. Conflicts about tradition and modernity, different or new religions and beliefs, old and new military forces, confrontations between the court and the tribes, are only part of this chain. Reza Abbasi entered the court simultaneously as a talented young man in the field of painting and left the court in 1011 AH for various reasons. Historians of Shah Abbas's court, including Iskanderbeg and Ghazi Ahmad Qomi, in addition to describing his characteristics, cite his connection with intimidators and wrestlers as reasons he did not get much respect. Reza Abbasi returned to the court in 1018 AH and resumed his work as a painter. According to Canby, this distance and his return to the court divide Reza Abbasi's life into three parts: the first period, which coincides with his early works, the second period, which is known as the period of rebellion, and the third period, which corresponds to the return of Reza Abbasi to the court. Meanwhile, the last period of Reza Abbasi's life is doubly important for two reasons. First, the amount of researche so far has been more focused on the rebellious period of Reza Abbasi and less on the third period of his life. The second is the maturity of Reza Abbasi's works in this period and considering the third period as the result of his artistic life. More than his previous works, the works of the third period challenge the presuppositions and attitudes about the art of painting and the methodology of analyzing the artworks. The present study aims to explain the thematic features of the works of the third period of Reza Abbasi's life by relying on the artist's life. The main question is that, considering the historical context, what meaning do the works of the third period of Reza Abbasi's life hold, and the second question is that compared to the first and second periods of Reza Abbasi's life, how these works show his different approach from the past. The use of a balanced and comprehensive method in the art of painting have mutual importance. First, it is possible to get a more accurate understanding of history from information about art and examine the artist's living conditions from another perspective.Second, one can get closer to creativity in contemporary art and thought by carefully recognizing and analyzing all of these themes in past art. In order to deal with this method, it is necessary to put together the historical contexts, the contexts of the thoughts around it to reconstruct the life of the artist and, most importantly, a detailed analysis of the theme of the works of art. This research, which is considered qualitative, with an interpretive-historical method, intends to analyze the inferential analysis of the studied subject by collecting information from library sources, including primary sources and the new research.The statistical population includes the works of the third period of Reza Abbasi's life and the studied samples include five drawings that have been selected purposefully and rely on a theoretical framework. According to the historical method used in this article, first, the situation of the rulers of the time, a set of socio-political contexts, economic situation, history of literature, and contemporary thought of Reza Abbasi is studied. After recognizing these cases and receiving a picture of the formation of the works, the theme of the works and their various dimensions, based on the shreds of evidence and documents, are analyzed. The issue that needs to be addressed in the present research method is that all three dimensions of history, theory, and works of art are necessary to answer the questions related to the art of painting, and these three should be addressed in a balanced way. During the reign of Shah Abbas, the economy reached its most advanced level during the Safavid period. In addition, Shah Abbas, with his tact, upgraded the country militarily and security-wise. All the favorable policies of that time can be best seen in Isfahan of that period and from the available reports and travelogues. Nevertheless, one should not ignore the socio-cultural gaps and issues, and contradictions of that era. During this period, Reza Abbasi entered the court as a talented young man and grew up. In the middle period of his life, due to his religious tendencies, he distanced himself from the court for several years (this period is known as the period of Reza Abbasi's rebellion), and after returning to the court, his painting style changed significantly, in terms of both form and theme. During this period, most of his works express his dual approach to life. For example, in Golgasht with Ashrafzadeh, although at first glance a completely different atmosphere is observed from the second period, with further analysis, it can be concluded that Reza Abbasi in this period of his life is trying to cope the court life and tendencies outside the court. However, in this connection, like the literary tendencies common to poets at that time, there was an attempt to create a special language, enigmatic, metaphorical, and containing content subtleties, which, firstly, need more reflection to discover its dimensions, and secondly, in no way to the audience. It does not convey a definite and final meaning. Apart from such attempts to construct a special language, Reza Abbasi also seeks a way out of the usual tendencies to express his protest, which, according to current information, is unprecedented until then. Throughout the history of painting, imitation of the past works has been pervasive, and painters have imitated these works for educational and technical purposes. However, the imitation of Behzad's work by Reza Abbasi, for the reasons mentioned, indicates a kind of conscious choice, which, considering its subject, clarifies the content of his protest. In general, it should be said that Reza Abbasi's works in the third period of his life narrate a dual and, at the same time, critical approach to the life and current situation of the society during the artist's life. There is a narrative hidden in the heart of his visual metaphors and clever choices, and it is not possible to receive it except by recognizing the socio-historical context of the formation of works and the re-creation of the artist's life.