Throughout its historical trajectory and various stylistic evolutions, the art of Persian miniature has always been founded upon a structure in which the boundaries between inner intuition and mathematical discipline are intertwined. In this visual system, geometry was not merely a technical tool for drawing or a mechanical method for dividing the frame; rather, it served as a fundamental framework for expressing a worldview and organizing the sacred and imaginal realm of the artwork. By employing latent lines, concentric circles, the golden ratio, and modular grids, the traditional miniaturist created a space that, despite the multiplicity of visual elements, achieved a coherent and harmonious unity. However, in the contemporary era, with the influx of Western modernist currents into the field of Iranian visual arts, traditional visual structures underwent fundamental transformations. In the realm of contemporary Iranian illustration, many artists, when encountering their visual heritage, have settled for superficial mimicry, borrowing historical figures and costumes, or merely simulating ornamental patterns. This approach has often resulted in a type of decorative and museum-like formalism, drifting away from the essence and structural origins of the miniature. Among the contemporary generation of illustrators, Mehdi Ash’ari’s approach offers a different path to the audience. Ash’ari’s works represent a conscious or intuitive effort to re-read the structural foundations of Persian miniature. Instead of halting at superficial forms and elaborate decorative renderings, he delves into the internal logic of the image, the order of structural lines, and the method of spatial organization.
The theoretical framework of this study is formed by the convergence of two epistemological domains: on one hand, the analysis of the geometric structure and spatial organization in the masterpieces of Persian miniature )Herat and Safavid Tabriz schools) which are based on the rejection of depth perception and Euclidean single-point perspective, the elimination of chiaroscuro, and a reliance on pure color surfaces and cyclical compositions; and on the other hand, the views of Keith Critchlow, a prominent traditionalist philosopher, architect, and theorist, regarding Sacred Geometry. Critchlow believes that geometry in traditional and Islamic art is the symbolic language of creation and a reflection of cosmic order. From his perspective, geometric forms are not merely mental abstractions but are considered objective archetypes that begin with the circle as a symbol of absolute unity and, through symmetrical and generative divisions, expand into polygons, squares, triangles, and ultimately into complex and infinite networks, embodying the transition from multiplicity to unity. The research method in this study is qualitative, and its nature is descriptive-analytical with a comparative approach. The research population includes the collection of Mehdi Ash’ari’s book illustrations created based on ancient or indigenous themes. From these works, samples were selected using a purposeful sampling method, specifically those works that exhibit the highest degree of geometric structure and structural connection to the visual traditions of the past, serving as the basis for study and visual dissection. Data collection was conducted through library and documentary research, alongside a precise visual analysis of the image layers. The analytical tool involves deconstructing the image structure based on three fundamental components: “Surface,” “Pattern,” and “Space,” and precisely matching the peripheral lines, axes of balance, and underlying networks of the works with Critchlow’s patterns of Sacred Geometry. Visual and structural analysis of Mehdi Ash’ari’s works shows that the process of image creation in his works relies on a kind of “structural reductionism.” Unlike past miniaturists, who hid the geometric skeleton of the work beneath a multitude of renderings, minute motifs, and illuminations, he has pushed aside these decorative coverings and exposes the underlying geometric structure, rendering it naked and transparent to the viewer.
In Ash’ari’s works, the two-dimensional realm of the image is fully recognized. Faithful to the tradition of miniature, he rejects any volumizing, light gradients, and chiaroscuro that might evoke a false sense of realistic depth. The surface in his works is divided into explicit geometric sections, separated color patches, and flat planes. From a color-theoretical perspective, the intelligent use of intense contrasts between flat surfaces serves a structural function. The dominant colors in his works are a combination of lapis lazuli, turquoise, ochre, crimson, and matte gold, which recall the color harmony of the Herat school and, in particular, the tile and brick work of Safavid architecture. These flat color surfaces intensify the geometric boundaries; meaning that color serves to reinforce geometric borders and differentiate planes rather than to represent natural light. An examination of the motifs and linear design in Ash’ari’s works demonstrates the precise application of geometric grids. The elements present in the image, including floorings, architectural wall surfaces, skies, mountains, and even the garments and cloaks of figures, are shaped by modular grid patterns, checkerboard divisions, parallelograms, and angular arrangements. This method of linear and motif organization perfectly corresponds to the concept of “generative patterns” in Keith Critchlow’s theory. Critchlow proves that in sacred geometry, all complex patterns result from the expansion and repetition of symmetries from a central point or a base grid. In Ash’ari’s works, decorative motifs do not exist in addition to the form; rather, the structure itself is the motif. The thick, sharp, and steady outline contours, which are one of the main features of miniature painting, have acquired an engineering function here; the rigid, geometricized lines dissolve human and animal elements into the heart of the background’s geometric grid, creating an integrated and interconnected whole that indicates the fundamental principle of unity in multiplicity.
The greatest commonality between Ash’ari’s illustrations and Persian miniature is manifested in the method of understanding and recreating “space.” Ash’ari rejects the Renaissance Euclidean single-point perspective visual system, which is based on the finite observer’s angle of view, and instead utilizes “multi-tiered space” and “multiple perspective.” In his compositions, planes are placed on top of each other in a tiered and vertical manner. Similar to the miniature painting of the Herat school, elements that are farther away in physical reality are drawn higher in the frame without becoming smaller. More importantly, the viewing angle relative to the various components of a frame is variable; for example, a pool or carpet placed on the floor of the image is drawn with a completely perpendicular top-down angle, while the adjacent figures are seen from a frontal or three-quarter angle, and the architectural elements in the background are drawn with an oblique angle. This juxtaposition of heterogeneous viewing angles within a coherent whole is exactly the placeless and surreal spatialization of Persian miniature, which frees the artwork’s space from the constraints of material time and place and connects it to the realm of the imaginal world. In a comparative reading of the works with Critchlow’s patterns, it becomes clear that Ash’ari utilizes golden geometric relationships and guide circles to regulate the dynamics within the frame. Although the appearance of the works might seem static due to the angularity of the forms, the structural lines that guide the gaze form a spiral and rotational movement within the image, which begins from the corners of the frame and leads the audience’s gaze to the narrative and semantic center of gravity of the image. This rotational movement is exactly the energy structure of generative circles that Critchlow emphasizes in the geometric drawing of Shamsehs (rosettes) and sacred knots; a hidden order that compels the audience’s eye to rotate in a semantic journey within the image to experience a stable equilibrium.
A notable point in this analysis is that the reflection of this geometry in Mehdi Ash’ari’s works is not necessarily the result of mechanical adherence to Critchlow’s books or conscious mystical claims; rather, it is rooted in the artist’s visual life within the context of Iranian culture and his intuitive perception of visual traditions. Ash’ari has succeeded in reconciling the visual intuition of the past with the simplified and minimalist language of contemporary graphics and illustration, creating a structure in which feeling and geometry coexist in a dialectical balance. The current research reveals that the connection of contemporary illustration to authentic Persian miniature is not limited to reproducing nostalgic signs or ancient figurative elements. Mehdi Ash’ari shows that the visual identity of miniature painting lies, above all else, in the method of structural thinking, surface engineering, generative patterns of motifs, and the organization of the spatial realm. By stripping away the pluralistic arrays and revealing the geometric network and guide lines of the image, he has achieved a modern essence of tradition. Comparing this organization with Keith Critchlow’s theory of sacred geometry clarifies that these works reproduce the same principle of unity in multiplicity through symmetry, modularity, combination of viewer levels, and the creation of geometric balance between lines and flat colors. This research suggests that contemporary designers and illustrators should, instead of adopting superficial and formalistic approaches, delve into understanding the structural geometry and foundational patterns of traditional art, in order to enable the creation of an original, modern, and deep-rooted language in contemporary Iranian illustration.