A Study of Five of Ilkhanid Shahnamah Paintings within the Framework of Carl Gustav Jung’s Theory of Archetypes

Since sometimes symbols may be manifested in the form of myths in artistic and literary works, thus mythological criticism contributes greatly to the symbolic analysis of such works. Carl Gustav Jung entered the field of mythology by presenting his theory of archetypes and called symbols a kind of archetype. In the paintings of the Ilkhanid Shahnameh, in addition to the characters of the stories, the symbols derived from archetypes were also illustrated. Therefore, by understanding the psychological qualities of Shahnameh characters based on Jung’s theory of archetypes, we can understand the symbolic analysis of the drawings. The present study intends to find the answer to the following question: Did the painters of the Ilkhanid Shahnameh use mythical themes in their art with ideas that are independent of the text? In this respect and to answer this question, the evolution of individuality in the three archetypes “Shadow”, “Anima”, and “Wise old man” in five paintings of the Ilkhanid Shahnameh are examined in the present research. To this aim, the “self” (the archetype of order, organization, unity, and oneness) of each individual in the painting is investigated employing these three archetypes. The archetypal representations are then sought based on the character of each hero in the paintings.
In order to study Iranian painting from the archetypal perspective or, in general, mythical criticism, the myths should be specifically taken into consideration as a literary genre or style. Thus, the traces of myths can be sought wherever there is literature. In the heroic, mythical, and historical stories of Shahnameh, Firdausi makes the themes of his stories objective and visual. Using some structural elements of the story, such as archetypes, represents the story’s mythical and heroic characters. Literary criticism can generally be classified into two groups of traditional and modern criticism. What distinguishes traditional literary criticism from traditional one is the emergence of new sciences, including psychology, sociology, mythology, etc. Each of these sciences has influenced literary criticism. One of the theoreticians who looked at myths through a psychological perspective is Carl Gustav Jung. Jung regarded the human psyche as composed of two parts, i.e. conscious and unconscious. The unconscious mind is also divided into personal and collective types. The collective unconscious mind involves codes and symbols which have been common among humans in the past times. He calls these symbols archetypes and considers the human psyche as consisting of several archetypes. These archetypes become conscious in the process of an individual’s growth to help the character’s evolution. 
To be able to examine Iranian painting from the perspective of a critique of mythology, we must see at what point in art, painting has reflected mythical themes. Looking at the history of painting in Iran, it has been found out that Iranian painting in the Ilkhanid period, known as the Tabriz school, evolved into a compiled art; one of the most eloquent examples of which can be observed in the paintings of the great Shahnameh mentioned earlier. Concerning the research question and the significance of the archetypes in the formation of mythological characters of Shahnameh and their manifestation in signs and symbols that can still be used consciously by painters and illustrators, conducting the present study seems necessary.
In Jung’s view, the contents of the collective unconscious, or archetypes, emerge in the form of myths and legends. These archetypes themselves are unknown and invisible but are manifested as dreams, myths, and legends. In this article, Zahak and Fereydoun are interpreted as different manifestations of a single psyche and its developmental stages towards the process of individuality and perfection of personality. The research procedure shows that by using this method, a better understanding of Iranian myths can be obtained, and some dark aspects of it can be clarified.  
In the paintings of the Ilkhanid period, mythical and heroic themes have been considered by artists, and one of the approaches to painting, i.e. symbolism, has been followed by using archetypes. The paintings of the great Ilkhanid Shahnameh, known as the Shahnameh of Demut in Tabriz I school, are considered as the samples that followed this approach in representing literary concepts. The present research employed a descriptive-analytical method, and the data were collected through library documents including theses, dissertations, and academic journal articles. The findings of the research indicate that the painters and illustrators of this period, have illustrated Shahnameh and the reflection of the mythical themes according to their very own analysis of the characters of the story and with their awareness and knowledge of the archetypes of the patterns. By analyzing the three characters of Fereydoun, Zal, and Esfandiar, it has been found out that the archetypal features of these three heroes are reflected in the paintings.