The Saqqa-khaneh Calligraphy-Painting Movement in Iran

Abstract

This article aims to describe the Saqqa-khaneh calligraphy-painting movement in Iran. This School was a significant movement in modern Iranian art that became influential in the formation of a modern approach toward prevailing traditional heritage. This artistic movement came about in the midst of the country’s modernisation, in an endeavour to link traditional Iranian culture with contemporary aspects of the visual arts, and with contemporary western paintings in particular. Abiding by Iranian tradition was not the primary engine driving Saqqa-khaneh art, nor was it to emulate western art. Contemporary Iranian artists have enriched Persian script endowing it with variety and aesthetic intention and have produced many masterpieces, particularly when calligraphy is combined with pictorial language. In the last six decades, this movement has gained a nation-wide significance in contemporary Iranian society and culture, leading to an increasing number of practitioners, collectors and a presence of calligraphy-painting-inspired advertising and design. Moreover, it has gradually found a position in the global art world. In the current art market, Persian contemporary calligraphy-painting stands out among Middle-Eastern productions.