Title: The Visual Arts of Iran in the Islamic Period

Abstract: The visual arts created in Iran from the seventh century to the present when Islam was a major presence are some of the finest made anywhere. This essay surveys that copious production.  It opens by delineating four themes that run through Persian art of the Islamic period: the use of writing in Arabic script; the lively depiction of living figures; Iran’s geographical position as a bridge between Europe and Asia, especially China; and the incorporation and transformation of foreign ideas into a distinctly Persian art. The essay then turns to a chronological vantage point, dividing this production into five periods, each illustrated with an object that underscores the range of media from metalwares, glazed ceramics, illustrated books, and textiles to oil painting and exemplify the superb quality of Iranian art in the Islamic period up to modern times.

Keywords: Islamic art, Persian art, Arabic script, book illustration

Author: Sheila S. Blair, Professor, Art, Art History and Film Department, Boston College, Boston, State of Massachusetts, USA; Jonathan M. Bloom, Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, State of Virginia, USA