Persian Miniature Painting: Heavenly Architecture & the Falnama
The Falnama is a form of bibliomancy with a long history in religious thought. What might appear strange or wondrous to us had meaning in the past. One approach to divinatory paintings is not to ‘predict’ the future. Rather it is to understand how these paintings allowed people to gain insight into the hidden meanings of the universe and interpret its signs and symbols. The Falnama manuscripts contain wonderful miniatures and we focus on these forms in class, with the knowledge that their origins lie in mysticism and wonder.
The pleasure of concentrating on a single miniature for an extended period involves us deeply. We are immersed in it; we live with it; we live in it. Inhabiting and internalising a painting this way is a wonderful and traditional way to learn. In today’s fast-paced world, we need to sit, focus on and contemplate our single piece and grow to love and understand it. We will understand the subtle art of colour, composition, and blending through our actions of making and doing, connecting with the work. The aim is not to rush, but to dwell. Thus painting is a form of meditation in itself. Students are invited to recreate this work alongside the tutor, incorporate elements into existing work or be inspired to create their own astrological or heavenly compositions, perhaps even a fictitious Falnama.
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The Falnama is a form of bibliomancy with a long history in religious thought. What might appear strange or wondrous to us had meaning in the past. One approach to divinatory paintings is not to ‘predict’ the future. Rather it is to understand how these paintings allowed people to gain insight into the hidden meanings of the universe and interpret its signs and symbols. The Falnama manuscripts contain wonderful miniatures and we focus on these forms in class, with the knowledge that their origins lie in mysticism and wonder.
The pleasure of concentrating on a single miniature for an extended period involves us deeply. We are immersed in it; we live with it; we live in it. Inhabiting and internalising a painting this way is a wonderful and traditional way to learn. In today’s fast-paced world, we need to sit, focus on and contemplate our single piece and grow to love and understand it. We will understand the subtle art of colour, composition, and blending through our actions of making and doing, connecting with the work. The aim is not to rush, but to dwell. Thus painting is a form of meditation in itself. Students are invited to recreate this work alongside the tutor, incorporate elements into existing work or be inspired to create their own astrological or heavenly compositions, perhaps even a fictitious Falnama.
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