Salim Telling Majnun of His Mother’s Death

In this painting Salim arrives to tell Majnun that Salim’s mother has died. I notice that the scene comes from Nizamis Layla and Majnun a story about missing someone and feeling sad when apart. Majnun lives alone in the wild. He is thin and worn out. He wears a piece of cloth. Majnun does not look at the people who have found him. Near Majnun are animals. It feels as if the animals see Majnun as one of their own. Place the visitors near those animals. I can see how far Majnun has moved from people. Majnun has not left people behind. Majnun is completely gone from them. Majnun is not in nature. Majnun is part of nature. That connection is the idea in the painting. Gwaliori does not see the land as a background. I observe the rocks, plants, trees and animals coming into a space that surrounds Majnun. That space feels like Majnun: alone, delicate and disconnected from life. The animals are calm around Majnun. That means Majnun does not just live in nature; Majnun is part of nature. That connection is the idea in the painting. How the scene is created also tells us about Mughal painting during Akbar. I notice the artist places buildings and the land in layers. That makes the picture deep. It draws the eye to the figures. The detail in the surroundings shows how much these painters enjoyed watching the world and capturing it. Some experts call this page "Majnun Answers His Father." So the same painting can have names based on who's looking at it. Its folio number 153v shows exactly which page it is. This miniature is part of a book called Nizamis KhamsaI find it fascinating that the miniature was created in Lahore between 1593 and 1595 during Akbar’s reign. The miniature is made with ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper.This mix allowed Gwaliori to create lines, rich colors and soft golden highlights. What Gwaliori makes is a story of sadness turned into a picture of love of being alone of nature and of suffering. I see Majnun’s weak body, the land around Majnun and the quiet way Salim shares the news all show how lonely Majnun is inside. The painting also shows Mughal artists turning stories into images while their interest, in land, animals, feelings and the way space is arranged kept growing.