[TurkC-L] x0x Naturalistic painting and drawing from life in 13th century Rum Seljuck Anatolia
Turkish Radio San Francisco
At the same time as Cimabue 1240-1302 and his pupil the
Florentine Giotto 1276-1337 were laying the artistic foundations of
the Italian Renaissance by initial attempts at naturalistic painting,
a similar, if not more advanced level of naturalistic painting and
drawing had already been reached in 13th century Rum Seljuck Anatolia.
It is even possible that works of art such as drawings and
panel paintings passed along the well established trade routes between
the Rum Seljuck Sultanate and the Italian City States of Florence,
Venice, Pisa, Genoa and also Provence and that these Rum Seljuck
examples played a part in the initial naturalistic impetus of the
Italian Renaissance.
T.M.P.Duggan
Antalya - Turkish Daily News
"This paper discusses some of the literary references to figurative
painting, drawing from life and naturalistic representational painting
in 13th century Rum Seljuck Anatolia. Although the works themselves
have not survived, the contemporary literary evidence provides us with
a clear picture of the status of representational painters at the Rum
Seljuck court and the references cited in the paper provide us with an
idea of the y quantity and quality of this type of artistic output in
the Rum € Seljuck Sultanate. The frequent occurrence, not only of
passing remarks on the lifelike-representational art of the period,
but also the use of the imagery of "painter-portrait" as a metaphor
for God and Creation in 13th century poetry, provide us with evidence
of another face of artistic activity in the Sultanate, which has
received scant attention due to the loss of this representational art
in the course of the ensuing centuries. This literary evidence is
conclusive as to the prevalence of these works of drawing from life
and painting, not only in respect of eyewitness accounts but also
because in terms of poetry, there is no point in a poet using imagery
in verse, which the audience is not familiar with, thus the parallels
drawn between painter, brush and painted work of art and its creator
would have no resonance if the audience was not also familiar with
life drawing, wall painting, artists and the practice of
representational art.
The paper uses one firsthand account by Muhyil-Din ibn Arabi, one
second hand account by Shemsed-Din Ahmet Dede Aflaki and quotes from
Mevlana Celalad-Din Rumi's "Mesnevi" to show that realistic
representational painting and drawing from life were carried out in
13th century Konya by artists of record and were an accepted and
common feature of city life in 13th century Anatolia.
So common in fact that Rumi frequently uses the analogy between God
and painter, Created world and painted picture in his poetry, for
example Mathnavi Book 1, verse 3035, "What else (but good) should the
picture think of the painter, since he bestowed thought and knowledge
upon it?" Book 1, verse 611, "Before the painter and the brush the
picture is helpless like a child in the womb." Book 2, verse 2537, "A
painter made two kinds of pictures - beautiful pictures and pictures
devoid of beauty. He painted Joseph and fair formed houris, he painted
afreets and devils. Both kinds of pictures are (evidence of) his
mastery: those (ugly ones) are not (evidence of) his ugliness, they
are (evidence of) his bounty. He made the ugly of extreme ugliness -
it is invested with all (possible) ugliness. In order that the
perfection of his skill may be displayed, (and that) the denier of his
mastery may be put to shame. And if he cannot make the ugly, he is
deficient (in skill); hence He (God) is the Creator of (both) the
infidel and the sincere (faithful)."
In "Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya" or "The Meccan Revelations" of ibn Arabi,
he records his encounter with a Byzantine painter in Seljuck Konya in
1210. Ibn Arabi visited Konya, Sivas and Malatya in a series of visits
between 1205 and 1222, each of these cities was both a palace city
where the Sultan at times resided and from where the Sultanate was at
times ruled from and a center for the Nakkashane or design studios of
the Sultanate. The following passage not only shows that naturalistic
painting of high quality was practised in Konya but also shows the
impact of figures such as ibn Arabi on the artistic community, in
respect not of skills but in the matter of the proper artistic
imagination to be employed in Rum Seljuck art.
This passage reads: "It is from the Divine Name, The Creator... that
there derives the inspiration to painters in bringing beauty and
proper balance to their pictures. In this connection I witnessed an
amazing thing in Konya in the land of the Rum. There was a certain
painter whom we proved and assisted in his art in respect of a proper
artistic imagination, which he lacked. One day he painted a picture of
a partridge and concealed in it was an imperceptible fault. He then
brought it to me to test my artistic acumen. He had painted it on a
large board, so that its size was true to life. There was in the house
a falcon, which, when it saw the painting, attacked it, thinking it to
be a real partridge with its plumage in full colour. Indeed all
present were amazed at the beauty of the picture. The painter, having
taken the others into his confidence, asked my opinion on his work. I
told him I thought the picture was perfect, but for one small defect.
When he asked what it was, I told him that the length of its legs were
out of proportion very slightly. Then he came and kissed my hand."
This passage shows the degree of naturalistic realism practised by
painters in 13th century Konya. The verbal image of the falcon
attacking the painted partridge, if it is a verbal image similar to
the Greek and Roman texts describing birds pecking at painted grapes,
rather than a factual description of the event, only reinforces the
utter verisimilitude with which this painter in Konya practised his
art. This pictorial realism is emphasized by the deliberate flaw in
the length of the legs of the painted partridge, which not only shows
the ability of the painter to make a deliberate flaw as a test piece
for ibn Arabi, but also hints at a level of representational skill
practised by the artist and a level of appreciation by the cultured of
Konya of a high order. The only way to develop this level of
appreciation is by seeing many paintings and comparing them with each
other and with the real object.
The second example, which concerns life drawing, is presented by
Shemsed-Din Ahmed Dede Aflaki (died 1360) in his book "Menakib al
Arifin" begun in 1318 at the command of Rumi's grandson Celibi Amir
'Arif, son of Baha'ud-Din Sultan Weled and completed in 1353, which
compiles first hand and second hand accounts pertaining to Mevlana
Celalad-Din Rumi and mentioning other 13th century personages together
with much background information on the later part of the 13th
century. The following passage contains a remarkable account of
portraiture and drawing from life in Konya in the second half of the
13th century. The life drawing was carried out by what seems to have
been a professional portrait painter, perhaps a court painter and well
enough known in court circles for him to be known as the "Aynu'l Devla
of Rum". The life drawing was carried out on behalf of the Georgian
Princess Tamara, daughter of Queen Rusudan of Georgia (1223-47).
Princess Tamara had been married to the Seljuck Sultan Giyathsed-Din
Kayhusrev II and was the mother of Sultan Alaad-Din Keykubat IInd
(died 1254). After Sultan Giyathsed-Din Keyhusrev IInd's death in 1246
she became the wife of the Regent of Anatolia, Pervane Mu'mad-Din
Suleyman in 1266.
Aflaki writes: "In those days there lived a painter as famous as Mani
(the famous painter and founder of Manichieism (216-77) whose name was
often used by Moslem writers as a synonym for a great artist), he
would claim that even Mani would fail in competition with his
paintings. He was called the Aynu'l Devla of Rum. The lady (Princess
Tamara) gave him presents and ordered him to draw a picture of Rumi.
She told him that the picture should be as lifelike as possible, so
that she might take it with her on her journey (to Kayseri). Aynu'l
Devla in the company of some officers went to Rumi and wanted to tell
him about the situation, but before he could open his mouth, Rumi
said, "If you can draw my picture, it will be a great achievement."
The painter brought some paper and turned his face towards Rumi who
was standing. The painter, casting a glance at his face, began to draw
Rumi's picture and looked at Rumi again but found his face changed.
Upon this he drew another picture. When he had finished it he found
Rumi's face changed again. He drew 20 pictures one after another, and
each time Rumi's face was different. He became astonished, broke his
pen, and shouting and crying he bowed down in front of Rumi. Then Rumi
uttered the following verses:
"Alas, I am so colourless and traceless, How can I see myself as I am?
You tell me to reveal my secrets, But where is the space and where am
I? How can my soul settle down, When I dwell in such a mobile spirit,
My sea too has drowned within myself, Strange to say what an edge less
sea am I.
Aynu'l Devla came out shedding tears. People took the papers
(drawings) to the Georgian lady. She took them all and put them in her
box. Whenever she desired to see Rumi's face and would try to look at
these pictures, Rumi's actual face would appear in front of her and
she would feel happy."
From this account recorded by Aflaki, it is clear that life drawing
was not only practised in 13th century Anatolia but also that its
practitioners were skilled and could produce 20 drawings in a single
session, showing a remarkable level of concentration. The fact that
Aflaki makes no comment on the practise of portrait drawing shows that
this was of itself not a remarkable event but rather the inability of
the artist to provide an accurate representation for his patron was
worth recording. The passage also shows that a portrait painter was so
well known or famous, at court, for his skill in representation that
he was known by the "nisba" or title "Aynu'l Devla" (Eye of the
State).
Celalad-Din Rumi, in his writings, draws attention to the danger of
mistaking the painting for what is real and by drawing attention to
this point, shows us that the quality of representational painting was
high in 13th century Anatolia. For example, Mathnavi Book 1 verse
1020, "The painting on the wall is like Adam; see from the pictured
form what thing is wanting." Book 1, verse 2766, "If you depict the
portrait on the paper as sorrowful, it has no lesson (learns nothing)
of sorrow or joy. Its appearance is sorrowful, but it is free of that
(sorrow), or its appearance is smiling, but it has no (inward)
impression of that joy." Book 1, verse 2765, "To the picture of a
fish, what is the difference between sea and land?" Book 5, verse
1502, "You were adverting your face from the Painter of the face
(God), since you were gaining heart's delight from a (mere) picture."
Other passages in the Mesnevi draw attention to paintings and pictures
in houses in Konya, for example, Book 4, verse 2562, "I saw
(beautiful) pictures and paintings in the house." And to some of the
motives, which lay behind these 13th century naturalistic paintings,
Book 4, verse 2881, "Does any painter paint a beautiful picture for
the sake of the picture itself, without hope of conferring benefit?
Nay, (he paints it) for the sake of guests and young people who by
diverting themselves (with it) may be relieved from cares. From his
picture (arises) the joy of children and the remembering of departed
friends by their friends." Interestingly this "remembering of departed
friends by their friends" is precisely the same reason Dede Aflaki
gives for Princess Tamara to commission Aynu'l Devla to draw Rumi's
portrait. The clear implication is that in 13th century Seljuck
Anatolia there were, perhaps many, collections of portrait paintings
and drawings.
Conclusion
The subsequent loss of these drawings, panel paintings and wall
paintings, (with the exception of the fragments in the bath house at
Alara castle and some contemporary Christian wall paintings in
Cappadocia), alongside the surviving visual evidence of both paintings
on ceramics and manuscript illuminations which employ a non-realistic
style for different and valid reasons, should not blind us to the fact
that life drawings and naturalistic paintings were practised in 13th
century Rum Seljuck Anatolia.
The literary evidence is clear, there were numbers of realistic
representational painters and artists who painted and drew from life
in 13th century Anatolia and their work was widely known amongst the
educated and formed an integral part of city life, in the bath house
as well as in the home. Portrait drawings were commissioned, collected
and kept in safety and a picture of a solitary partridge painted on
panel formed a work of art. This predates a realistic painted panel
picture of a single bird in western European art by at least 250
years.
The importance of this literary evidence of realistic painting and
portraiture in the Rum Seljuck Sultanate for the student of the
history of art is clear. At the same time as Cimabue 1240-1302 and his
pupil the Florentine Giotto 1276-1337 were laying the foundations of
the Italian Renaissance by initial attempts at naturalistic painting,
a similar, if not more advanced level of realistic painting and
drawing had been reached in 13th century Rum Seljuck Anatolia. Given
the trade links between Italy and Seljuck Anatolia, trade treaties
with Venice signed in 1207, with Pisa in 1229, with Florence in 1240
and with the Genovese in 1253, and with regular exports including
alum, an essential mordant for dyeing cloth unavailable in western
Europe and exported from the Sultanate via the port of Antalya, it is
even possible that a part of the impetus towards realism in Italian
painting came from examples of realistic Seljuck art brought to Italy
during the 13th century.
Given the troubles in the late 13th century after 1277, and in early
14th century Anatolia under Mongol control, loss of life through
famine, wars and rebellions and the loss of wealth, stability and
continuity in court life. It is not surprising that this burst of
naturalistic art in 13th century Rum Seljuck Anatolia died, but what
matters is that it happened. What is perhaps as interesting is that
these works of naturalistic painting and drawing preceeded the
naturalism of the early Italian Renaissance and may have influenced
the initial stages of the Italian Renaissance, through works of
Seljuck drawing and painting reaching Italy through the well
established trade links between Rum Seljuck Anatolia and the city
states of 13th century Italy."
(*) This paper was given at the Seljuck Symposium held at Seljuck
University, Konya, 11 to 13th October, 2000.
All quotes from the Mathnavi are from: The Methnawi of Jalalud'din
Rumi, Ed and Translated by R.A.Nicholson, 1934, Books 1 and 2, ISBN
0-906094-08-9, Books 3 and 4, ISBN 0-906094-09-7 and Books 5 and 6,
ISBN 0-906094-10-0.
Claude Addas, The quest for red sulphur, the life of ibn Arabi, 1993,
ISBN 0-946621-446
Muhyil-Din ibn Arabi, Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya, Vol. 2, page 424, Cairo,
1329 Hicra. Quoted in Sufis of Andalusia, The Ruh al-Quds and
al-Durrat al-fakhira of ibn Arabi, Translation and notes by R.W.J.
Austin, Pages 40-41, London 1970, Publisher. George Allen and Unwin
Shemsed-Din Ahmet Dede Aflaki, Menakib al-Arifin, 3/374, quoted Pages
26- 27 in Dr. E. Turkmen, The essence of Rumi's Masnevi, 1992, Konya,
ISBN 975-95630-0-2.
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