Research Article

Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists

Volume: 6 Number: 1 June 30, 2026
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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.

Keywords

Project Number

230604001

Ethical Statement

This study does not involve human participants, animal subjects, or experimental data. No ethical approval was required, as the research is based solely on theoretical analysis and the examination of publicly available visual and literary sources.

Thanks

The author would like to express sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Turan Aksoy for his valuable guidance and supervision throughout the development of this study.

References

  1. ARNHEIM, R. (1966). Toward a psychology of art: collected essays. University of California Press.
  2. ARISTOTLE. (1997). Poetics (M. Heath, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published ca. 335 BCE).
  3. ATASOY, N. (2015). Matrakçı Nasuh ve menzilnamesi. İstanbul: Masa Yayınları.
  4. BAĞCI, S. (2006). Ottoman painting. In G. NECİPOĞLU (Ed.), Treasures of Topkapı Palace. Thames & Hudson.
  5. 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.
  6. BAKTIR, H. (2003). The concept of imitation in Plato and Aristotle. Ankara University Press.
  7. BEHNAM, M. (2010). The conceptual metaphor of light in the Divan-e Shams. Journal of Literary Criticism, 3(10), 91–114.
  8. 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 *
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

APA
Jaberimiandoab, N., & Aksoy, M. T. (2026). Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists. ART/Icle:/Sanat/Ve/Tasarım/Dergisi, 6(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.56590/stdarticle.1828766
AMA
1.Jaberimiandoab N, Aksoy MT. Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists. ART/icle. 2026;6(1):1-24. doi:10.56590/stdarticle.1828766
Chicago
Jaberimiandoab, Niloufar, and Mehmet Turan Aksoy. 2026. “Exploring the Connection Between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists”. ART/Icle:/Sanat/Ve/Tasarım/Dergisi 6 (1): 1-24. https://doi.org/10.56590/stdarticle.1828766.
EndNote
Jaberimiandoab N, Aksoy MT (June 1, 2026) Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists. ART/icle: Sanat ve Tasarım Dergisi 6 1 1–24.
IEEE
[1]N. Jaberimiandoab and M. T. Aksoy, “Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists”, ART/icle, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–24, June 2026, doi: 10.56590/stdarticle.1828766.
ISNAD
Jaberimiandoab, Niloufar - Aksoy, Mehmet Turan. “Exploring the Connection Between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists”. ART/icle: Sanat ve Tasarım Dergisi 6/1 (June 1, 2026): 1-24. https://doi.org/10.56590/stdarticle.1828766.
JAMA
1.Jaberimiandoab N, Aksoy MT. Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists. ART/icle. 2026;6:1–24.
MLA
Jaberimiandoab, Niloufar, and Mehmet Turan Aksoy. “Exploring the Connection Between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists”. ART/Icle:/Sanat/Ve/Tasarım/Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 1-24, doi:10.56590/stdarticle.1828766.
Vancouver
1.Niloufar Jaberimiandoab, Mehmet Turan Aksoy. Exploring the Connection between Poetry and Painting Through Rumi’s Influence on Iranian and Turkish Artists. ART/icle. 2026 Jun. 1;6(1):1-24. doi:10.56590/stdarticle.1828766

ART/icle: Journal of Art and Design

ISSN: 2718-1057
e-ISSN: 2791-7665