Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
MA., Department of Art Research, Faculty of Art, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Art Research, Faculty of Arts, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran,Corresponding Author.
Abstract
Monotheistic and Abrahamic religions have promised their followers the Day of Resurrection, which is the time of reckoning for all. In the holy books of these religions, there are many verses and propositions about the manner of resurrection and the quality of reward and punishment, as well as the details of the resurrection of humans on the Day of Resurrection. The story of the dead coming back to life, the resurrection, and heaven and hell are among these themes. In the Christian religion, in different eras, this event has been tried to be depicted in different ways based on the religious texts in the Bible and the interpretations of the elders of this religion. However, in the Islamic world, such an approach has been more limited, and only in a few famous paintings resurrection scenes have been depicted following the verses of the Holy Quran and religious traditions.
The following article examines and compares two works with the theme of Doomsday. The Mahshar Desert (Doomsday Desert) painting by Tahmasabi's Falnameh is based on Quranic verses and Islamic and Shia traditions and the painting of The Last Judgment by Fra Angelico is based on the themes of the Bible and Christian beliefs. Falnama Tahmasabi's Mahshar desert painting and Fra Angelico's painting of the afterlife judgment are two examples of similarities in terms of the system of visual signs and the history of their creation. The above-mentioned Falnama painting is the only work among Islamic works with resurrection themes, similar to the paintings of the Christian world. On the other hand, each of these works was created based on the religious texts present in their religion, and here, between these texts and visual works, there are hypertextual relationships that can help to investigate the reasons for these similarities.
The hypertextuality approach is a part of Gérard Genet's theory of transtextuality, which examines the influence and inspiration between a text and an earlier text. A hypertext is a text created from a previous text (pretext) during a transformative process. According to Gerard Genet's multitextual approach, verses of the Qur'an and Shia traditions, as well as statements from the Testaments about the resurrection and the day of resurrection, are considered as the pretexts and important sources of the mentioned paintings.
The Mahshar desert painting is one of the 50 horoscope paintings available in the Dresden library. This work was created in the Qazvin school in the 16th century by the order of Shah Tahmasb Safavid and in the royal workshops. Horoscope books became widespread with the rise of the Safavid dynasty in Iran, especially Shah Tahmasb, along with the expansion of Shiite thought, and several prominent fortune-telling books were also illustrated . In this painting, Prophets and divine saints are drawn at the top of the image, next to the Tuba tree and the water fountain, watching the Day of Judgment and the establishment of justice by God's will and by Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and Imam Ali (SAW). The close angels are also holding this scene; from the angel carrying the scales and the one playing the trumpet, to the agents of doom. On the left side of the picture, you can see heaven and heavenly homes, and at the bottom of the picture, hell is drawn, and in the middle of the picture, people are waiting for divine judgment with their deeds. This picture is unique because it includes all the parts of the resurrection.
The second work is the Last Judgment painting by Fra Angelico, which was created between 1432 and 1435 and is currently kept in the San Marco Museum in Florence, Italy. This painting was created for the Camaldolese Convent Santa Maria del Angeli monastery in Florence. In this painting, the mighty judge invites the believers with his right hand and guides them to heaven, and with his left hand, he rejects the damned and shows them hell. Three rows of angels surround Christ. Below his place, an angel is holding a cross and two other angels are playing trumpets. The Virgin Mary, John, the apostles, and fourteen other saints are placed in two rows on both sides of Christ, like the assessors of the judge. In the lower part of the painting to the left of Christ, the cursed people are driven to the seven pits that correspond to the seven deadly sins. Deep in the abyss, a demon named Lucifer devours three damned souls. All the inhabitants of hell are naked, but the damned who have not yet crossed the threshold of death are clothed. On the right side of Jesus, the redeemed are seen, some kneeling and giving thanks, others being greeted by angels.
the research questions of the present study are: 1- What are the similarities and differences between the two paintings mentioned with different pretexts? 2- What role did different pretexts have in creating two paintings with a similar theme? The current research aims to analyze the two mentioned artworks, based on the degree of influence of their pretexts, using the theoretical foundations of Gérard Genet's Hypertextuality. This analysis will lead to a recovery of the scope of the influence of the two Islamic and Christian arts on each other. The lack of attention to the religious concepts in the works of art and the similar themes among the artistic representations of Abrahamic religions indicates the necessity of conducting this research. The current research is descriptive-analytical with a comparative approach and data collection was done through a library.
By comparing the textual symbolic system with the visual symbolic system, between the studied paintings and their textual and verbal pretexts, it is obvious that the mentioned paintings, in most parts, follow their pretexts exactly. In a few parts of Falnameh's painting, some text topics have been transferred to the image in a transformed form. In addition, the visual signs of these two works were matched based on the equal verbal signs in the pretexts, as well as equal visual elements. These tables provide the possibility of evaluating the existence of a relationship or the impact of one of these works on the other.
The results of the investigations show that despite the existence of many similarities between the mentioned paintings, due to the similarities of their pretexts with each other, it is not possible to issue a definitive verdict about the influence of these two artworks on each other.
What shown on the comparative tables illuminates that in each of the two works considered in the current research, the hypertext is relatively consistent with its verbal and cultural pretexts, and both works adhere to their religious foundations to a large extent. On the one hand, there is a lot of correspondence between the visual signs of the Mahshar Falnameh desert and the last judgment of Fra Angelico, based on the verbal signs in the pretexts. On the other hand, the elements and signs in the two works are in complete agreement with each other and there is merely a slight difference between the composition of the two works of art. In addition, the presence of a Tuba tree above the work of the Mahshar desert, and the way the judges, Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and Ali(SAW), stand in the middle of the painting is different from the painting by Fra Angelico.
In the comparative studies that took place in this research between the hypertexts and their pretexts, it was found that despite minor differences, the many similarities between the works show the similarity of the narratives of these two religions about judgment in the afterlife. Paying attention to comparative studies between works of art with common religious themes can be of interest to art scholars in future research. The results of these studies can lead to the discovery of intertextual relationships and artistic influences, in addition to emphasizing equal pretexts.
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