2022
Faces: Nuances
Expression and gesture
JANUARY Fear - as in surprise! The finger in the mouth
FEBRUARY Sadness and madness (and worry): Majnun
MARCH Happiness and contentment
APRIL Anger
Faces: Painted Ladies
The faces of women
MAY - Gentle green-blue lady, and lady with the lamp
JUNE - Lady on a swing, and lady combing hair (to bring in a mixture of figural positions)
JULY - The turquoise lady (and a different turquoise lady)
AUGUST - Monsoon lady running from a storm (with lightning!)
Faces: Painted Ladies II
The faces of women
SEPTEMBER - Nur Jahan
OCTOBER - Jahanara
NOVEMBER - Lady at night, and a sitting nayika
DECEMBER - Couple at night with fireworks, a precursor to love
2023
Faces: Love
All you need is love
JANUARY - love of another (male-female), and Khosrow and Shirin (falling in love via paintings)
FEBRUARY - love of each other (same sex)
MARCH - love of dance
APRIL - love of wine and the Divine (Allegory of Drunkenness; the Beloved: Persian poetry)
I’m missing children in miniature painting as they don’t often feature. Childhood was also understood differently then. Zal the albino is a good one but the children are often painted as tiny adults (which is in a way what they were). Teenagers didn’t exist; they did paint ‘youths and virgins’ however. I’ll instead paint my own children in miniatures, and I encourage you to do the same with children around you. They are a delight, and I look forward to seeing yours!
We'll weave in poetry and literature wherever possible (it is always possible!). We'll incorporate the great classics such as Layla and Majnun, Khosrow and Shirin and more. I have plans for a mini Shahnameh series, a mini Conference of the Birds series, the Khamsa/Hamza including the Haft Paykar of Nizami/Nezami, poetry from Hafez/Hafiz and Rumi and Jami and Saadi and finally, last but not least, my favourite 1001 Nights. All to be very spread out!
To be arranged:
Faces: Artists and individuals series (mainly Mughal) - now honing into what makes a person that person and not any other person - a portrait, in other words; mastering likenesses
Faces: final class is a self-portrait Masterclass, your own likeness; there are hands, whole human figures and animals also to paint!