In Roxburgh’s discussion of Persian manuscripts he addresses the issue of comparing the authorship of Western post-Renaissance art and the works of Persian manuscript painter, Bizhad. In western art we often identify authorship with a certain style that is almost always used by an artist. For example artwork made by one painter can always use the same kinds of brush strokes or colors. That characteristic makes it identifiable as that artists work. In contrast to this idea, with the creation of the artwork in the manuscripts, Roxburgh states that the artist’s presence is not know through visible brush strokes. Unlike most post-renaissance western art, the Persian manuscripts were very much a collaborative project. Many other people and not just the named artist created the manuscripts produced in a workshop, so in some way this tampers with the idea of true authorship.
I think that Roxburgh makes and interesting point about the fact that an author in inspired by the works and objects around them when creating a piece. I am not sure if I believe that there is such thing as a totally original idea that has never been done before. I think that things can be very different from something but an inspiration had to have happened first. I think this idea involved with the concept of authorship is very interesting, especially in regards to the works of Bizhad. In the manuscripts there are obvious elements that were taken from various cultures and artistic styles. The concept of authorship is almost just a generalization for something as complex as the creation of Persian manuscripts, it is generalized that the works we know as Bizhad’s are made only by him without the effort of anyone else.
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