Investigating Artistic Creation and the Role of the Artist in the Manifestation of Beauty, Considering Divine Creation

According to Islamic mystical reflections, the beauty of God is considered the foundation of the universe's creation, resulting in an inseparable link between beauty and creation. The present study aims to analyze human artistic endeavors in light of the divine creation concept, drawing from the mystical belief that 'humans are an image of Him.' This study seeks to introduce an appropriate approach to manifesting beauty in artwork and exploring the role of the artist in this context. Employing a descriptive, analytical, and interpretative methodology, we draw from Qur'anic teachings, Islamic mysticism, and theosophy sources to investigate the various levels of God's creation and the relationship between creation and the act of speech in the universe, humans, and the Qur'an (as His perfect manifestations). Furthermore, we consider the human existential faculties to analyze and explain the quality of beauty manifestation in artwork. To illustrate this, we study Isfahan's Hasht Behesht garden from this perspective. Through this study, we establish that the artistic act of humans, at the level of the heart (intellect), is connected to the beauty of the word-like and esoteric essence of the work. At the level of sensation, it corresponds to the beauty of the book-like and the exoteric form. Therefore, the stronger the relationship between these two facets, brought forth by the power of the artist's imagination, the more beauty emerges in the aforementioned work. However, lasting beauty consistently originates from the word-like aspect of the artwork, which is in relation to God, representing the beauty of God.