Research Problem: The paintings of the Davari Shahnameh constitute one of the most distinguished instances of pictorial narrativity in Persian painting, in which epic and tragic concepts are represented through visual Components. Focusing on the painting The Killing of Iraj, the present study seeks to answer the following question: what are the visual components and features effective in the representation of the tragic event in this painting? How does the viewer comprehend the corresponding narrative through the visual representation of the tragic event?
Research Method: The research data consist of textual and visual material gathered through library and documentary methods. The painting The Killing of Iraj has been examined through a descriptive-analytical method. The work has been described by drawing on Lessing’s theoretical discussion of the distinction between the representation of suffering and tragic pain in poetry and in painting, as well as on Rudolf Arnheim’s account of the visual components effective in directing the viewer’s gaze; the role of these Components in advancing the narrative has then been analyzed.
Findings: The analysis of this image demonstrates the significance of spatial division, the topographical placement of figures/bodies, and -more importantly- the emphasis on gestures, bodily movement, attention to the color of garments, facial expressions, and, most crucially, the directional gaze of the figures toward one another. These very visual components play a prominent role in the comprehension of the temporality of the event and in advancing the narrative. In the image, time is fixed as a single, instantaneous moment; the painting effectively freezes a cross-section of the continuous flow of time within itself. Nevertheless, the comprehension of time in visual narrative is achieved not directly, but through the spatial organization of the image and the manner in which the figures are positioned within it.
Results: The results of this study indicate that the image is not merely the representation of a single moment; rather, its visual forces, character oppositions, and directions of perception transform it into an interconnected network. This very network compels the viewer’s mind to reconstruct what precedes and what follows the event. Thus, the painting advances its narrative through visual forces and components organized around a pregnant moment. This research may provide a foundation for the study of visual narrative in other paintings from the same manuscript, as well as in other illustrated manuscripts of Persian literature.