An Analytical Study of the Iranian-Armenian Paintings- Case Studies: Paintings of the Birth of Jesus Christ

The origin of Armenian art in Iran dates back to the Median and Achaemenid eras. After the forced migration of the Armenians to Iran by Shah Abbas, the Armenian artistic heritage of Nizi was transferred to a new place. The lands of Armenia and Iran have been adjacent and have been culturally and politically connected for many centuries, so the Armenian people are among the Iranian tribes. In the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries AD, a large number of Armenian artists and scholars gathered in Julfa of Isfahan and engaged in artistic and cultural activities. Therefore, Julfa of Isfahan became the land of Armenian science and learning. The Armenians of Julfa founded the Higher School (Religious School) diligently. Graduates from this school were brilliant figures who presented valuable services throughout the history of Armenian civilization and culture. Also, the works created in the field of murals and miniatures by Armenian artists are worthy and admirable. In this research, 5 examples of drawings of the Julfa school of New Isfahan on the subject of the birth of Jesus Christ (PBUH) that exist in this museum have been studied. The research question is: on what basis have images of birth been depicted in the Bibles? The research method is descriptive-analytical and the method of collecting information is library research and online sources. The method of data analysis is qualitative. The statistical population is the Bibles that are kept in the Vank Church Museum. Numerous articles on the birth of Jesus Christ (PBUH) along with other topics such as evangelism, resurrection, etc have been done. The present study follows a methodical and deeper reading of the drawings of the Armenians of Isfahan with a focus on portrayals of the birth of Jesus Christ which concludes that these works are created as essential. In this research, first, the apparent meaning and stylistic features of the selected drawings and their place of writing and preservation have been determined, and in the second stage the relationship between drawings, stories and narratives on which the meaning of drawings depends. In the interpretation section, we studied how to choose symbolic values for images, stories and allegories. Given that Armenian painting is at the service of instructing the teachings of the church, these images are a reflection of these teachings and the life of Christ. Interpretation of these paintings indicates that the themes and views of the artists regarding the tradition of Armenian painting are based on historical facts, and the drawings of the Armenian manuscripts are based on fidelity to the historical facts. The connection of the paintings with the themes of myth (the archetype of the birth of the mythical worms) is revealed as well. The childbearing of a virgin is seen in the beliefs of many nations. The childbearing of a virgin mother, who is also a holy prostitute, is also mentioned in the Mahabharata narrations about a hero named Karna. In this narration, Princess Prieta, who is called Conti, gives birth to a son in virginity, whose father was the god of the Syrian sun. In Zoroastrianism, it is believed that three saviors pave the way for the emergence of Zoroaster at the end of time. In Bundahishn, it is said about these three sons of Zoroaster: “Before Zoroaster had mated; then they handed over the glory (Khvarenah) of Zoroaster in the sea of Kianseh to be taken care of to Aban Khvarenah, who is Nahid the goddess. It is now said that three lights shine on the seabed, to be seen at night. One by one, when the time comes, it becomes so that a maid shall go into Kianseh’s water to wash her head and Khvarenah shall entangle with her body and she shall get pregnant. Thus they one by one will be born in their own time”. In Jung’s view, Buddha, like Christ, is a symbol of his archetype. The birth of Jesus Christ (PBUH) from the Virgin Mary is the only example of the childbearing of a virgin that is true and the best evidence that childbearing of a virgin in myths and legends illuminates the fate of becoming a hero. Since Jung's approach to Christ is a psychological one, he considers Christ to be the full symbol of the archetype of self and mental wholeness: Premature evolution, miracles, death, the voice of angels, shepherds, etc. So, it is these attributes of Christ that make him the embodiment of himself. Undoubtedly, the results obtained in this research are the definitive and complete meaning of this painting and can be examined from other aspects as well, which shows the high capacity of Armenian painting for analysis and study as well as the requirement for further research regarding its various aspects.