Muslim Mystics Opinions About Light And Its Effect on Art

The manner of understanding of muslims mystics such as Ghazzali, Sohrevardi and Najmeddin kubar about light, degrees of lights, coloured lights and realm of imagination is an issue that this essay intends to study it. In this research, the matters about the influence of Gnostics thoughts and Islamic theologians on Persian painting are presented. Certainly if the artist is qualified for deep of muslim mystics about light and realm of imagination, in artistic creation, is different with the artist having no such deep insight. For example, Iranian painters, because of pay attention to the realm of imagination, there is no in their works, chiaroscuro and perspective. The artist is an artist if acts with imaginary cognition in human cognitive system and the realm of imagination which is different with imaginative faculty and ontological affair in existence system are analyzed. If the imaginative faculty of the artist is concerned with the spiritual affairs, the art created by him/her is a sacred art. The sacred art is similar to the veridical dream because it is based on truth and its recognition. But if the imaginative faculty of the artist is concerned with the satanic affairs, the art created by him/her is a mundane art. The aim of this research, is also to survey on the influence of the light theory of illuminatioism on Iranian painting. The Muslim painters such as other artists of the previous eras followed the mystic and philosophical doctrines of the Muslim intellectuals. Among these intellectuals, the theories and doctrines of Sheikh Shaboddin Sohrevardi and Najmeddin Kubra have had much impact on the beliefs and function of the painters in such a way that these effects are clear well in the face of the Muslim painter’s works.The effects of Islamic philosophy and mysticism on the view of Muslim artists, have led to presentation of certain aspets of light and color in the imaginary world of Persian painting. The imaginal world was initially introduced to Islamic philosophy by Shaykh al-Ishraq Sohrevadi. Tish is an intermediate world between the world of matter and immaterial worlds. Therefore, it plays the role of a connecting link enjoying the characteristics of the worlds above and below, and that is why it is the world of wonders. Concerning the quality of the interaction between the imaginal world and material world, we should say that, based on Sohrevardi’s words, we can consider the forms of the material world as the manifestation of the imaginal forms existing in the imaginal world. In this reseach, concept and attendance of light in painting works and familiarity of painters with illumination philosophy, some explanation and clarifying matters have been mentioned. Manner of sohrevardy’s understanding of light and also world of imagination issues presented by him, has caused that painter draws a world of imaginal in his artistic work without shadow and full of light. In the end of article, we can see effect of imagination discussions on distinction of sacred art from mundane art.