The Recreation of the Descent of Man in the Iconic Analysis of the Black Dome Attributed to Sheikhzadeh

Creating imagery is of the main fortes of the poets who draw on the power of imagination to express their own mystical, philosophical, and ethical points and worldviews in their poetry. One of the arts that are closely related to literature is „imagery‟. It is the illustration of poetry and literary and mystic texts whose scenes have allowed the poetical and literary texts to be understood. The story of the Black Dome whose narrator is a Hindu princess benefits from a bold, sensual, and profound mystical symbolism which depicts the practical experience in the descent of Man and indicates the lover‟s deprivation of the union with the beloved as he is driven from heaven for greed. Thus, he is clad in black in lamenting this separation. Nizami has managed to narrate this story exquisitely through the imagery of words. In this article, while a review and analysis of the poet‟s mystical thoughts are provided, an attempt is also made to compare the symbols and elements together with the icons that the painter has used to convey his purpose. Then, we articulate the main research question which is centered around the relationship between the mystical account of the story of Black Dome composed by Nizami and the pictorial symbolism which has been employed by Sheikhzadeh. To address this question, an analysis and explanation of seven mystic processes in the story and the paintings have been provided. Particularly, it seems that the painter has been aware of the meanings conveyed by the symbolic elements of the story which are hidden in the use of delicate and mystical words. Thus, he has illustrated them with loyalty to such themes in the form of designs and colors on a white paper.

Keywords: Descent, the Black Dome, Sheikhzadeh, story, imagery, mysticism, Nizami