Farukhsiyar was a Mughal emperor in the 16th century in India. His reign saw the primacy over the Sayyid brothers; later they became the effective power behind the façade of the Mughal rule. An unknown artist of Mughal painted a portrait of emperor Farukhsiyar. Also, another picture of the same emperor was developed by one Simon Schijnvoet who is a Dutch printmaker. The language of Art and Architecture is used to analyze such great work by great artists to understand the aim of the artist and also have the skills to look at a piece of art and be able to identify major themes in a portrait. The two paintings portray a similar theme of power and wealth. However, they are developed in a different manner, color shape, and even size. Due to this, we can scope that, it does not matter what method or technique used in the portrait if the aim of the painting is achieved.
The portrayed by an unknown Mughal artist is large and developed using colors that are bright. The print on the portrait is colorful with a unique design on the horizontal and vertical edges of the paintings. According to the portrait size, it shows that the artist had a passion for work and was also willing to develop a masterpiece of its kind. That is why the portrait is big and detailed with themes about the emperor’s life. 1 The artist when developed the portrait he ensured that the scale of the character is full size and depicts the empire as an influential person because he is seen holding something on his hand as a sign of power also on his head there is a crown.
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A sense of depth is developed in the painting because of the colors shows that the clothes of the emperor he was a great man of power and wealth even the chains and beads on his hands show that he was a well rich man. 2 A sense of depth is developed in the manner that the portraits depict how the emperor of the 16th and 17th century used to dress. Furthermore, the artist has developed a picture representing how powerful the emperor was by creating a shadow of something like the sun over his head. The portraits display evidence of architectural space because the artist uses space to create space and designs. The architectural space is developed by different tools such as geometry colors and shapes. The edges are seen to be equal and symmetrical. The portrait also has colors that beautify the portrait in many ways.
The artistic skills of the artist show that it is creative since in the portraits it clearly shows that the imagination power of the artist is enormous. This creativity is seen in the portrait looking at the background the artist use imagination to create a view of mountains and something like a water bed. On this portrait, the artist has used watercolors and gold to develop a picture in the mind of art lovers how the emperor used to look like and also to develop the theme of power and wealth. The paint is visible in the whole picture from top to bottom and is attractive. By using the paints the artist choice and intentions are being depicted clearly by the full portrait. Generally, the portrait depicts the Mughal emperor because of the clothing and jewelry on his body. Furthermore, the crown on the head shows that indeed he was the Mughal emperor. The artist gives us a clear sense of the subject about the emperor.
On the second portrait of emperor Farukhsiyar which was created by Simon Schjnvoet who is a Dutch printmaker. The portraits show the Mughal emperor standing as he held his hands. He has his sword with him and also a crown. Over his head, there is a sun-like shaped that is drawn by the artist. On the portrait behind him, there is a serene environment like a garden, and there are two people seen under a palm tree. The painting is much smaller than the portrait done by the Mughal artist. The size displays that the artist wanted to depict the history of how the emperor used to live in an empire. The scale of the character depicts the authority of the emperor since there are the crown and the sword on his waist.
A sense of depth on the portrait is essential to the viewers and also to the artist. The painting depicts a sense of depth creating the theme of power and authority for the emperor. Furthermore, it depicts the emperor’s life during his period a life of fame and a pleasant environment. The printmaker depicts its perspective by painting beautiful backgrounds and ensuring the main attires of the emperor are in place to depict a clearer picture of the development of the emperor. Architectural space in the portrait is evident by the use of symmetrical symbols. It displays the skills of the artist and shows his motivation and passion for the work of art that he is presenting. The artistic skills of the printmaker are visible in the portrait because of the depiction of a clear background with different images showing how the environment was.
There are indicators of light and dark in the portrait since the artist did not use colors, most probably to elaborate the historic moments of the emperor. 3 Shadows are evident in the portrait since he uses dark them and lighting on his portrait. For example, the shadow of the emperor’s image is visible on the painting. The painting intentions to tell us that this indeed was a Mughal emperor are achieved because the portraits depict the emperor with the crown and a sword indicating the power that he had and the lifestyle he lived. The artist also gives us a clear sense of the subject by using the portrait by using a particular style of his work. 4
In conclusion, the two portraits have been developed by two different artists who have managed to explain one scenario of the Mughal emperor by just using arts of different kinds. The artist has portrayed their skills of using a different size, color, and architectural space to develop the portrait. Despite all the differences and similarities between the two artists and their work they were able to deliver a clear sense of the subject using the main themes of power, authority and wealth do illustrate the lifestyle of the Mughal emperor.
Bibliography
Parodi, Laura E., Jennifer H. Porter, Frank D. Preusser, and Yosi Pozeilov. "Tracing the history of a Mughal Album Page in the los Angeles County Museum of Art ." Asian Arts (2010).
Sharma, Yuthika. Art in between empires: Visual culture & artistic knowledge in late Mughal Delhi 1748–1857. Columbia University, 2013.
1 Parodi, Laura E., Jennifer H. Porter, Frank D. Preusser, and Yosi Pozeilov. "Tracing the history of a Mughal Album Page in the los Angeles County Museum of Art ." Asian Arts (2010).
2 Parodi, Laura E., Jennifer H. Porter, Frank D. Preusser, and Yosi Pozeilov. "Tracing the history of a Mughal Album Page in the los Angeles County Museum of Art ." Asian Arts (2010).
3 Sharma, Yuthika. Art in between empires: Visual culture & artistic knowledge in late Mughal Delhi 1748–1857. Columbia University, 2013.
4 Parodi, Laura E., Jennifer H. Porter, Frank D. Preusser, and Yosi Pozeilov. "Tracing the history of a Mughal Album Page in the los Angeles County Museum of Art ." Asian Arts (2010).
