Eṣfahān School (painting)

The Esfahān school refers to a period in the history of Persian art associated with the city of Esfahān. The Esfahān School covers the years between the Shah Abbās I’s decree of moving the capital to Esfahān in 1589 and the demise of Safavid dynasty in 1736. Although the Esfahān school is considered a significant artistic movement, which spans over fourteen decades, it is difficult to pin down a common characteristic of the paintings and calligraphies that are usually classified as belonging to the Esfahān school. In this regard, the Esfahān school is a generic name for those works of art that may share a tendency to incorporate the Western styles or everyday subjects. The most prominent artist of the Esfahān school is Reżā ‘Abbāsi whose later students and followers contributed to the trend of Europeanization in painting.

Brief History

In 1506 Shah Esmā‘il I, the founder of Safavid dynasty, established the Royal Library, which functioned as royal atelier at the same time. By the succession of Shah Tahmāsp, the prominence of the Library increased, and it became the cardinal institution dominating the artistic trends. Nevertheless, after 1555, Shah Tahmāsp withdrew his support for art. This negligence continued in the following reigns of Shah Esmā‘il II (r. 1576–1578), and Shah Mohammad Kodā-banda (r. 1578–1587) which led the artists to either immigrate or find alternative resources for funding. As a result, a fissure opened in the body of the Safavid art institution, which was a catalyst for the significant developments in the Esfahān school. The change in the system of patronage led to the rise of a sense of independence and self-awareness in artists, who shifted to the art market addressing the affluent middle-class art collectors. This new market failed to support the grandiose manuscript illustration projects. However, demands for affordable single-page paintings, a genre of painting that consists of a page of illustration along an epigram, among other new painting types helped artists to secure their market and experiment in new artistic forms.

Moreover, the growing economy of seventeenth century Esfahān contributed to the Esfahān school’s development. Advanced trade routes established Esfahān as an economic and political hub connecting the East to the West. Most of these trade routes were overseen by the central government and the king himself, who monopolized the trade of silk, the most prominent merchandise in the seventeenth century. During the reign of Shah Abbās II, the Esfahān’s Armenian minority took advantage of the silk trade and made substantial fortunes whereby they became capable of funding monumental art projects. The growing popularity of European prints and paintings, as well as the influence of Armenian and Indian arts, changed the ideals of Persian art. Although the first generation Esfahān school painters mostly remained faithful to the tradition, the next generations embraced radical Europeanized styles. These developments in the context of Persian painting, mainly in the seventeenth century, drastically altered the trajectory of Persian art and marked the demise of traditional painting.

Overview

At least two general phases are discernable in the development of the Esfahān school. The first phase (1587 through the early 1540s) occurred during almost the entire reign of Shah Abbās I and, for the most part, Shah Safi I. In this phase, the fundamental changes in the system of art patronage and innovation in style were undertaken. Under the patronage of Shah Abbās I, artists such as Reżā ‘Abbāsi (who is believed to also have used the signature "Aqa Reżā") initiated a new wave of artistic innovation. Reżā departed from the traditional subject matter of fictional figures and instead turned his content to everyday life. There is a sense in which Reżā’s interest in everyday subjects has an intimate connection with his life, as he decided to leave the court in 1603 to pursue the lifestyle of commoners, wrestlers, and dervishes (Muslim mystics who live ascetic lives). This experience profoundly affected Reżā’s works and those of his followers. For example, Reżā’s single-page Dervish paintings were well received at the time and led other artists to create a number of paintings with the same subject. Although Reżā never exactly implemented modeling and perspective, the impressionistic quality of his painting accompanied with delicate and organic lines gives his works a sense of naturalism. In spite of these innovations, Reżā still remained faithful to certain conventions. This conflict of convention and innovation, exemplified by Reżā, indeed characterizes the first phase of the Esfahān school.

Beginning with the 1640s, the growing popularity of Indian and European painting gave artists even more incentives to experiment with techniques to promote verisimilitude in their works. Even though the traditional manuscript illustration did not yielding to the new taste for naturalism, the emergent art market for single-painting and lacquer objects urged artists to adopt the style of their European and Indian counterparts. While the paintings by such artists as Shaikh ‘Abbāsi, the son of Reżā ‘Abbāsi, and Bahrām Sofrakeš, for example, borrowed motifs from Indian Mughal art, Muhāmmād-Zamān used European prints as his chief source of inspiration. However, the beginning of this influence can be traced back to the early period of the Esfahān school. For example, Sadeqi Beg, the director of the Royal Library during the reign of Shah Abbās I, made copies from European prints.

Beginning in the second half of the seventeenth century, the term "Farangi-Sāzi" referenced the artistic style that adopted the European representational conventions. ‘Ali Quli Jabbādār, whose family was one of many converted Muslim Armenians during the reign of Shah Abbās I, and Muhāmmād-Zamān are two important artists who excelled in this style. For example, Ali Quli’s debt to Flemish illustration is clear in the use of shading and in details like garments and buildings. Farangi-Sāzi gained popularity not only among the middle class, but also in Shah Abbās II’s court. Consequently, this tendency accelerated the fading of traditional Persian painting.

Bibliography

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