The Dialectic of Time and Space in Miniature Art: An Analysis of Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād’s Works

Abstract

A lot of research has been carried out investigating miniature art in Eastern cultures. Some of these studies have focused particularly on the representation of architectural spaces in miniature paintings. According to them, the formation of spaces in miniatures is based on certain inherited geometrical rules. It is undeniable that miniatures are constructed on a geometrical pattern which consists of certain linear and diagonal lines and axes. This pattern gives the miniature its shape and governs its overall composition. The depiction of architectural buildings and spaces is not independent of this geometrical order. Although this study agrees with this claim, it also argues that in addition to geometrical norms, the concept of time plays a much more important role as geometric norms in the formation of architectural spaces in miniatures.