Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists
Abstract
The Purpose of the Study: There has always been a connection between poetry and painting in such a way that these two forms of art can transform into each other. Since the time of intellectuals such as Aristotle, Plato, Horace, and Lessing, this relationship has been studied. This research, examines their theories regarding the connection between different art forms and then discusses the history of connection between poetry and painting in Iran and Türkiye. The aim of this study is to answer the following question: How are Rumi’s poems inspiring the artworks of contemporary Iranian and Turkish artists such as Erol Akyavaş, Gülsün Erbil, Parviz Tanavoli, and Iraj Eskandari?
Literature Review / Background: Previous studies have examined the relationship between poetry and the visual arts from various philosophical perspectives, and thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Horace, and Lessing have analyzed the boundaries and interactions between different artistic forms. In contemporary studies, researchers have also paid attention to the role of symbolic imagery, and mystical traditions in reflecting literary concepts. However, despite extensive research on Rumi’s poetry and its philosophical and mystical dimensions, fewer studies have addressed the way contemporary Iranian and Turkish artists reinterpret Rumi’s mystical concepts through visual language. This gap in the research literature indicates the necessity of a new comparative investigation that can clarify the connection between Rumi’s poetic symbolism and the visual practices of today’s artists.
Method: This study uses a qualitative methodology to analyze the works of the mentioned artists through formal visual analysis using Roger Fry’s theory, with a focus on color, form, and structure, as well as semiotic analysis using guidance of several Iranian and Turkish sources to examine the mystical meanings hidden behind these visual forms.
Results: By examining the artists studied in this research, the findings indicate that Rumi’s mystical themes, such as divine love and spiritual transformation, are manifested visually with hidden symbols and through the use of different visual qualities in the selected artists’ works.
Conclusion: Therefore, this research, by focusing on both theoretical and practical aspects, presents new perspectives in the field of poetry and painting, and by examining how poetry is transformed into visual art, fills the gap between poetry and painting and demonstrates how the deeply symbolic and philosophical concepts in Rumi’s poems are transformed into visual elements in the form of symbols and metaphors and influence the viewer.
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References
- ARNHEIM, R. (1966). Toward a psychology of art: collected essays. University of California Press.
- ARISTOTLE. (1997). Poetics (M. Heath, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published ca. 335 BCE).
- ATASOY, N. (2015). Matrakçı Nasuh ve menzilnamesi. İstanbul: Masa Yayınları.
- BAĞCI, S. (2006). Ottoman painting. In G. NECİPOĞLU (Ed.), Treasures of Topkapı Palace. Thames & Hudson.
- BAL, A. A. (2007). Türk kültürü, edebiyatı ve sanatında Mevlâna ve Mevlevilik ulusal sempozyumu [National symposium on Mevlana and Mevlevi order in Turkish culture, literature, and art]. Selçuk Üniversitesi.
- BAKTIR, H. (2003). The concept of imitation in Plato and Aristotle. Ankara University Press.
- BEHNAM, M. (2010). The conceptual metaphor of light in the Divan-e Shams. Journal of Literary Criticism, 3(10), 91–114.
- BINNEY, E. (1973). Turkish miniature painting. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Visual Cultures, Islamic Arts, Art Criticism
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Niloufar Jaberimiandoab
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0009-0004-0203-1190
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti
Mehmet Turan Aksoy
This is me
0000-0001-6780-4001
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti
Publication Date
June 30, 2026
Submission Date
November 23, 2025
Acceptance Date
March 30, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 6 Number: 1