Iranian Art Research Articles

Feasibility Study of Persian Irony Functions in Iranian Conceptual Art

Persian language in Iranian art has had many Functions a long time ago. This function has been revealed sometimes in imagery form for literary fiction in Iranian painting, and sometimes in ultra-modern in form of representation of words, letters and sentences in the works of Iranian contemporary artists, including Ghahve-Kaneh and Sagha- Kane style painting. After the 70s, line drawing also paid attention to values of words and letters too, among them some conceptual artists, with the pursuit practical background of language make different representations from words and letters in their works. What is necessary is that, Persian language is a treasury which has many capabilities for transmission of ideas and concepts. As for contemporary conceptual art, we can see that these capabilities have been neglected. This means that with Compilation of conceptual art and analysis of them. The question is, how can Persian allusions be involved in the structure of the creation of conceptual art? The findings of this descriptive-analytical study show that by doing this, with change substance in language, it means, word to art essence, ready one, produce, which follow construction of idea transmission of conceptual art, non-skillful being predetermination programing, non-subjectivity, also evidence and briefness.

Classification of Gurkani and Safavid Fabrics’ Motifs According to the Impact of Persian Art on the Region

Fabrics and the use of patterns in the textile industry have undergone countless and astonishing changes due to the biological climate, the degree of civilization and culture, religious beliefs and customs. The study of the evolution of clothing and various fabrics is not only important from the point of view of history and art, but also from the point of view of sociology and understanding of the nations' psychology. The history of patterns is the same as the history of textiles and clothing, so it can be examined directly and indirectly from a conceptual and thematic point of view. Comparing the patterns and designs of Indian Gurkani fabrics with the textiles and artworks of Safavid Iran shows that Indian weavers have created works under the influence of Iranian art that is difficult to distinguish from each other. Due to the many impacts of Iranian art in many designs, the Gurkani have consciously tried to localize the used patterns and motifs, such as the altar pattern. A variety of motifs, including decorative, plant, animal, and pictorial arrays, have been used in Gurkani Indian fabrics, which have undoubtedly been greatly influenced by the Iranians according to the conditions of the time. The main purpose of this research is to classify the patterns of Safavid and Gurkani fabrics and the main focus of the research is the woven designs and patterns in Safavid and Gurkani fabrics. Accordingly, by classifying the designs and patterns, the level and extent of their impact on each other have been studied and plant, human, animal and calligraphic motifs have been studied comparatively.

A comparative study of painting and architecture stylistics of contemporary Iranian and western arts

Iranian art reflects the spirit and inclinations of Iranians, regardless of place and time of origin. Another point is the diversity of works of art which shows that the ancient Iranians had high skills in different regions. Iranian architecture and painting have always been present side by side and influentially throughout history, and this connection persists until today in contemporary Iranian art. The present article is a research on the features and concepts of architectural and painting styles in contemporary Iranian art and a comparative comparison of these two arts which is centered on the concept of architecture and painting. The contemporary architectural styles and tendencies in question date back to the first and subsequent Pahlavi rule. The general objectives of the research are to apply the styles of painting and architecture in Iranian art to achieve the same conceptualism of these two arts. For this purpose, three main categories have been studied: the first part is contemporary Iranian architecture, the second part is contemporary Iranian painting and the third part is a comparative comparison of contemporary Iranian architectural and painting styles. The present research is an analytical and comparative research and the research method is based on the application of styles and logical reasoning. Documentary and library studies and theories of experts are also the basis of this article.

Cultural Diversity: Aesthetic Analysis of Persian and Kashmiri Paisley Ornaments

The article focuses on the origins and evolution of the Indo-Persian decoration "Paisley," as well as the use of this flowery linear pattern on textiles such as shawls, table wraps, and carpets. Paisley has gone through many stages in its evolution, including the Iranian art period and the Indo-Subcontinent phase (Mughal era). The intrinsic nature of the decoration is shown via a comparative research technique that defines Indo-Persian motif features. This article looked at the primary ornamental elements of the paisley pattern, which are floral and geometrical in nature, and how they are used in Iran and Kashmir. Finally, this article discusses how, because of Paisley's growing and blooming character, it is often a prominent ornament in the most important works of enrichment and plays an accentuation role in the decoration of textile surfaces. Paisley, a masterpiece, is especially linked to techniques for conveying the aesthetic brilliance of the pattern used in many cultures.

Self-reported experience of orofacial injury, preventive practice, and knowledge of Iranian adolescent martial art athletes towards sports-related orofacial injuries

BackgroundIncreased engagement of adolescents in martial arts exposes them to a relatively high risk of experiencing orofacial injuries. We evaluated self-reported experience of orofacial injuries, preventive practice, and knowledge of management of sport-related orofacial injuries and related factors in adolescent Karate and Taekwondo athletes in Iran.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on Iranian martial arts athletes including Karate and Taekwondo aged 11–17-year-old in 2020 via an online questionnaire. The anonymous self-administrated questionnaire had four parts: background (age, gender, duration of sports activity, training sessions per week, and previous education on orofacial injury); self-reported experience of orofacial injury; preventive practice including mouthguard and helmet use; and knowledge of emergency management of orofacial injuries. Preventive practice and knowledge scores were calculated by summing up the scores of corresponding questions (possibly range 0–7). A linear regression model and the Pearson correlation served for statistical analysis.ResultsTotally, 295 athletes with a mean age of 14.56 ± 1.91 years participated in the study. A quarter (n = 74, 25.1%) of athletes stated that they had received training on prevention of orofacial injuries. Only 3.7% (n = 11) of the participants reported the use of custom-made mouthguards, and 62% (n = 183) reported a positive history of orofacial injuries. A significant relationship existed between self-reported orofacial injury and age (β = − 0.32, p < 0.001), hours of training per week (β = 0.12, p = 0.037), type of sport (β = 0.11, p = 0.049), and previous training on orofacial injuries (β = − 0.14, p = 0.010). No difference existed in the history of orofacial injury between females (n = 114) and males (n = 69) (p = 0.374). The mean score of self-reported preventive practice and knowledge of management of orofacial injuries was 3.53 ± 1.82 (out of 7) and 1.67 ± 1.10 (out of 7), respectively. Age (β = 0.19, p = 0.002) and history of orofacial injury (β = − 0.15, p = 0.010) were associated with the score of self-reported preventive practice. Female athletes (β = 0.11, p = 0.048) and athletes who exercised more per week (β = 0.15, p = 0.012) had significantly more knowledge on management of orofacial injuries.ConclusionAdolescent athletes had relatively undesirable preventive practices and a distinct lack of knowledge. The high occurrence of self-reported orofacial injuries indicates the importance of more education and stricter rules for the athlete population.

The bow as an insignia of power in the art of ancient Iran

This article presents the iconographic concept of the bow as an insignia in ancient Iran of the imperial era. The primary source of the bow’s association with the depiction of royal power is Mesopotamian iconography, where the bow is shown in the hands of kings without any connection to the act of shooting itself. The model of depicting a ruler with a bow resting on his foot, developed in the Neo-Assyrian period, was entirely adopted by imperial Achaemenid iconography. Another aspect expressing the association of the bow with royal power is the habit of depicting, in the Mesopotamian tradition, shooting kings without quivers. Iranian art of the Parthian and Sasanid periods, on the other hand, adopted the quiver as a sign of status from the nomadic steppe tradition, but one can nevertheless see in Sasanid iconography relics of the functioning of the bow as an insignia in the Mesopotamian sense.

Iranian Glazed Ceramics of the 12th—Beginning of the 13th Centuries in the Volga Bulgaria

This article is devoted to the analysis of Iranian art ceramics from the monuments of the Volga Bulgaria of the 12th to early 13th centuries. As a historical source, glazed ceramics have great opportunities in determining the directions of trade and cultural links, as well as priorities of intercultural interaction. It is especially important that the materials under consideration were obtained as a result of excavations, which means that they are stratified and provided with an archaeological context. Iranian ceramics are represented by fritware luster, mina’i, and pierced decoration. The study was carried out using morphological and stylistic methods and scanning electron microscopy method (SEM-EDS). Based on the results of the work, the technological characteristics of glazed ceramics, the stability of the craft tradition, and some changes in recipes within the same morphological group have been determined. The dynamics and chronology of the import flow from Iran to the Middle Volga are established, which revealed correspondence to the main stages of urban culture development of the Volga Bulgaria.

The Saqqa-khaneh Calligraphy-Painting Movement in Iran

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.

Individual Investors as Drivers of Urban Change: The Case of Historic District of Kashan, Iran

ABSTRACT Many historic city centers around the world have begun a process of regeneration in recent decades after years of stagnation and decline. Numerous factors play a role in the transformations of the historic center, including cultural tendencies, urban public policies, real estate market trends, and tourism. This study investigates the transformations of the historic neighborhoods of Kashan in Iran, during which private investors began to buy, restore, and reuse the historic houses since the 1990s. We applied a qualitative research approach, focusing on face-to-face semi-structured interviews and observations. The findings of this study revealed four groups of investors with different backgrounds and motivations: (1) rich pioneers from Tehran fascinated by architectural heritage, (2) Iranian expatriates influenced by nostalgia for authenticity, (3) European professionals interested in Iranian art and aesthetics, and (4) local investors mostly aiming to revitalize their childhood memories and introduce their cultural heritage to tourists. This study also shows that different urban transformation processes overlap and occur simultaneously in the historic neighborhoods of Kashan, generated by different investors.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY OF KERMAN CARPET SYMBOLS, SHAPES, AND DESIGNS

Different traditional Iranian art forms can be known as a single semantic recreation in different forms. All of them imply some shared concepts which are a mix of Persian and Islamic beliefs. These arts have a symbolic tone and the artist speaks through their art using the appropriate allegorical tools. In this field, the Kerman carpet should be known as an excellent manifestation of symbols and mysterious designs that are eloquently implemented on the carpet. The purpose of this study is the anthropological analysis of the symbols, designs, and patterns used in the Kerman carpet as well as the analysis of the Kermanian people's beliefs based on those designs and symbols. The research method used here is the Qualitative type and in the form of ethnographic, and also the information are collected using interview-participation and documents. The theoretical framework of this study is based on Clifford Geertz’s Symbolic-Interpretive Anthropology Approach theory. The findings of this study show that the Kerman carpet alongside its beauty and charm includes meaningful designs and patterns and these designs and symbols are derived from the geographical-cultural and social area and are connected with the everyday life, traditions, and beliefs of the people of their area.

Introduction to Jalal AL-E Ahmad's “To Mohassess, For the Wall”

Abstract “To Mohassess, For the Wall” is an article written in 1964 by Jalal Al-e Ahmad, one of the most influential and charismatic Iranian intellectuals of the time. Three years before writing this article, Al-e Ahmad had published Weststruckness, discussing the Iranians’ cultural alienation caused by the dependence on the west. In “To Mohassess, For the Wall”, Al-e Ahmad shifts his analysis to Iranian painting, arguing that Iranian painters during the 1960s merely repeat Western cultural processes and strategies instead of constructing Iranian ones. The context for Al-e Ahmad's argument is the Pahlavi regime's radical program of rapid modernization, which in the area of the arts was systematically expanded. Critical, provocative or problematic, the article offers a crucial window into the adoption of Western-style modernism by Iranian painters during the 1960s and into how an “insider” intellectual such as Al-e Ahmad evaluated the modernization of Iranian art before the background of what he perceived as the critical neglect of Iranian traditions. The text is addressed to Bahman Mohassess, a painter whom Al-e Ahmad considered to be one of the few who had not been coopted by the cultural policies of the Shah's regime.

To Mohassess, For the Wall

Abstract “To Mohassess, For the Wall” is an article written in 1964 by Jalal Al-e Ahmad, one of the most influential and charismatic Iranian intellectuals of the time. Three years before writing this article, Al-e Ahmad had published Weststruckness, discussing the Iranians’ cultural alienation caused by the dependence on the west. In “To Mohassess, For the Wall”, Al-e Ahmad shifts his analysis to Iranian painting, arguing that Iranian painters during the 1960s merely repeat Western cultural processes and strategies instead of constructing Iranian ones. The context for Al-e Ahmad's argument is the Pahlavi regime's radical program of rapid modernization, which in the area of the arts was systematically expanded. Critical, provocative or problematic, the article offers a crucial window into the adoption of Western-style modernism by Iranian painters during the 1960s and into how an “insider” intellectual such as Al-e Ahmad evaluated the modernization of Iranian art before the background of what he perceived as the critical neglect of Iranian traditions. The text is addressed to Bahman Mohassess, a painter whom Al-e Ahmad considered to be one of the few who had not been coopted by the cultural policies of the Shah's regime.

The Emergence of an Auction Category: Iranian Art at Christie’s Dubai, 2006–2016

The expansion of the British auction houses Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams to markets in the Middle East has played a crucial role in building an international market for art from the region. They have also been essential in providing an international platform for the sale of art from Iran, a country whose economy is otherwise isolated from global markets. In this paper, I address the growth of the market for Iranian art specifically via Christie’s auctions in Dubai. Through close analysis of auction catalogs, ethnographic data drawn from live auctions and interviews with key staff members, I document the emergence of Iranian art into the international arena and the solidification of both Iranian and Middle Eastern art as a distinct category of sales. In particular, I explore the notion of “seeing with the other eye”, a way that auction specialists nudge local collectors into the arena of “international” taste. Through analysis of the particular tropes used to narrate artist biographies in auction catalogs, I demonstrate how artists are painted as interpreters and translators of “local” and “global” aesthetic registers.

Anthropological Study of Kerman Carpet Symbols, Shapes and Designs

Different traditional Iranian art forms can be known as a single semantic recreation in different forms. All of them imply some shared concepts which are a mix of Persian and Islamic beliefs. These arts have a symbolic tone and the artist speaks through its art using the appropriate allegorical tools. In this field the Kerman carpet should be known as an excellent manifestation of symbols and mysterious designs that are eloquently implemented on the carpet. The purpose of this study is the anthropological analysis of the symbols, designs and patters used in the Kerman carpet as well as the analysis on the Kermanian people's beliefs based on those designs and symbols.The research method used here is the Qualitative type and in the form of ethnographic, and also the information are collected using interview-participation and documents.The theoretical framework of this study is based on the Clifford Geertz’s Symbolic-Interpretive Anthropology Approach theory. The findings of this study show that the Kerman carpet alongside its beauty and charm includes meaningful designs and patters and these designs and symbols are derived from the geographical-cultural and social area and are connected with the everyday life, traditions and beliefs of the people of their area. Keywords: Anthropology, Symbol, Shape, Design, Kerman Carpet. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-9-01 Publication date: May 31 st 2021

Editors' Note

We are living through a grim moment of global convergences, from emerging contagious diseases and the looming threat of catastrophic climate change to insufferable forms of social oppression and authoritarian regimes of surveillance. We invite our readers to contribute reflections, considered scholarly meditations, or short notes “from the field” to help illuminate the ongoing turmoil of world historical crises.Meanwhile, our inaugural issue of 2021 begins with the section “The African-Soviet Modern,” which brings together interdisciplinary scholarship that explores the multiplex connections between Africa and the Soviet Union. Organized by Elizabeth Banks, Robyn d'Avignon, and Asif Siddiqi, the section investigates the distinctive ethos of African-Soviet projects of modernization and modernity that diverged from Western capitalist projects. The essays explore these projects in their own terms rather than as a state socialism destined to fail or a sideshow to particular national or nationalist histories. Andrew Ivaska's study of the circulation of exiles from Mozambique's FRELIMO insurgency, Banks's history of the troubled relationship between Soviet and Mozambiquan women's groups, Siddiqi's examination of Soviet satellite tracking stations in Africa, and Steffi Marung's genealogy of Soviet paradigms of geography and development all point to the distinctive temporalities and the methodological challenges posed by foregrounding underexplored Soviet transregional connectivities.The essays by Owain Lawson and Natalie Koch bring together political geography with environmental histories to investigate the workings of local, regional views of the land—and its rivers and deserts—from Lebanese hydroelectric engineers to Saudi desert dairy farmers in the section titled “The Geopolitics of Nature.” Their focus on the relationship between modern technopolitics and the natural landscape draws attention to the transnational links and international vectors that moved through the concepts and constructions these actors engaged with, from international financiers, urban planners, and development ideologues to desert geographers and agriculturalists.Finally, we end with the section “Political Aesthetics,” which comprises an essay on the affective feminism of contemporary Iranian art by Foad Torshizi and an original interview with the Palestinian artist Rana Bishara. As Lila Abu-Lughod's interview with Bishara makes so clear, regarding art as an active form of reconstitution as much as representation—or as a form of activism in its own right—highlights the aesthetic as much as political possibilities and perceptual movements it activates. Torshizi draws attention to the contemporary artist GhazalehHedayat's haptic visualities as aesthetic movements that interrupt acts of representation. Meanwhile, Bishara brings to life a variety of everyday objects and scenes that animate their embeddedness in contemporary Palestinian life under Israeli occupation and control and yet simultaneously integrate the experiences of dislocation and suffering they aesthetically represent, such as the use of barbed wire (ubiquitous in the landscape of occupied Palestine) wrapped around a melting ice cube in Hunger Strike/Ticking Freedom, which appears on the cover of this issue. As Bishara recalls so evocatively when describing her series Blindfolded Histories, these bittersweet juxtapositions arethemselves political acts as much as aesthetic representations: “Each time a viewer steps into the space,” she states, “there is movement. An emotion is released in this space of frozen moments from the brutal realities of our history.” Indeed, this evocative reanimation of collective memory and loss reminds us all of the power and beauty of art as activism.

The Affective Feminism of Ghazaleh Hedayat

AbstractThis article examines the works of the Iranian contemporary artist, Ghazaleh Hedayat. It argues that her turn from figural representation to nonfigural abstraction and consequently to what Laura Marks has called “haptic visuality” demonstrates a careful and systematic aesthetic strategy that attempts to confront and at times even exit representation. It shows that Hedayat's works since the early 2010s offer an affective approach to feminism in contemporary Iranian art that doesn't hinge on representational modes of expression, which are often susceptible to assimilation into identitarian narratives and inadvertently complicit in various forms of marginalization (gender, ethnic, etc.). Hedayat's affective feminism not only complicates clichéd interpretations of her work as a non-Western woman, but it also materializes a new form of knowledge more in tune with feminism. Focusing on the female body as a site of pain, friction, tension, love, maternality, and, more significantly, as a site where self and its other—both in terms of gender and ethnicity—encounter each other, Hedayat undermines visibility by way of pushing it across the borders of sight into the realms of visuality, haptic experience, and proprioception.

MOĞOL YÖNETİMİ SIRASINDA HİNT YARIMADASINDAKİ MİNYATÜR SANATINA İRAN MİNYATÜR SANATININ YANSIMALARININ SEBEPLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ

عوامل متعددی بر روند تاثیرگذاری نگاره های ایران بر نگاره های شبه قاره هند در دوران حکومت مغولان موثر بوده است. موضوع این پژوهش بررسی عوامل تاثیرگذاری نگارگری ایران بر نگارگری شبه قاره هند در دوره حکومت مغولان است. در این پژوهش با بررسی منابع کتابخانه ای و بکارگیری روش توصيفی- تحليلی با رویکرد تاریخی، آثار نگارگری دوران حکومت مغولان بر شبه قاره هند از منظر شیوه پیدایش، ساختار، خصایص صوری و عوامل تاثیرپذیری از هنر ایرانی مورد بررسی قرار گرفته ‏است. بر اساس نتایج این پژوهش، آثار نگارگری هند در عصر حکومت مغولان، به گونه ای چشم گیر معرف نفوذ هنر ایرانی است. به طور کلی، گرایش هنرمندان شبه قاره در دوره حکومت مغول به هنرهای تصویری ایران‏ و نفوذ قواعد هنر ایرانی در آثار نگارگری این کشور، متأثر از دو منبع بوده است: نخستین منبع وجود تعداد زیاد نسخ خطی مصور و غیرمصور در کتابخانه‏ های شاهان مغول است. دومین منبع، مهاجرت شماری از هنرمندان نگارگر ایرانی به خواست خود و یا با دعوت حاکمان شبه قاره در این دوره به هند است که منجر به تأثیرگذاری نگارگری ایرانی بر نگارگری دوره حاکمیت مغولان بر هند گردید. یکی از ویژگی های بارز نگاره های این دوره، رواج گسترده تک چهره سازی و تمایل آشکار به ثبت واقع گرایانه چهره ها است. در دوران حکومت مغولان هند بر شبه قاره، نگارگری که در ابتدا در خدمت تزیین متون ادبی بود، بعداً شخصیت جداگانه ای یافت. با این حال، در این آثار، هنرمندان ویژگی های اساسی کار خود مانند طراحی پیشرفته و میل به واقع گرایی را حفظ کردند.

The Study and Analysis of The Prevailing Elements and Patterns in The Background of The Works of Mirzababa, A Qajar Painter

The Qajar period is the beginning of many important and long-lasting developments in Iran's contemporary era. Among these developments, we should mention the changes in Iranian arts and the aspects that these arts had with them. Planning and backgrounding were among the aspects that entered Iranian painting with the entrance of Western art elements. Mirzababa was one of the most important painters of the first Qajar period, and the way he used these elements became an unwritten and frequently used pattern among artists. The purpose of the present article is to analyze the background of his works and to understand his backgrounding. The research is a theoretical and a descriptive-analytical research. The statistical population of the research consists of the works of Mirzababa and because the number of works that have reached us is limited, the sample size is all of his works. The research data show that Mirzababa had been backgrounding according to the type of art or used medium. Backgrounds have a general pattern or contractual elements that have an interior, exterior, or a combination of both spaces rather than the used medium.

Surrealism and the Reliefs of the Sasanian High Priest Kartir

Kartir was the most important religious leader in early Iran at the time of the Sasanian empire. The rock reliefs and inscriptions left by him contain some important features that occur for the first time in Iranian art history. Specifically, Kartir’s rock reliefs reveal that someone who was not a king could still be influential enough to commission a monument in which he was the central figure. Kartir’s inscriptions appear next to the reliefs of the previous king, or were even inserted into the same panel. In this way, the traditional construction of these reliefs was altered, as were their respective meanings. Furthermore, Kartir describes an imaginary journey to another world in his inscriptions. The article considers the role of dreams in Kartir's art and what influence this had on this new style of composition, comparing it with what we now call ‘surrealism’.

The Equestrian Relief of Hung-e Azhdar: A Historical Memory for the Dynastic Lineages of Elymais

ABSTRACT During the Parthian era (ca. 238 BC–224 AD), rupestrian art was mainly the product of the patronage of kings, independent aristocrats, subjugated vassals, or peripheral rulers, which often developed independently from the main authorities conventions, shaping a proper tradition through the canonisation of certain motifs. In the minor kingdom of Elymais, the socio-political situation seems to have stimulated a creative combination of native, Hellenistic and Parthian artistic elements. Within this panorama, the enigmatic carving of Hung-e Azhdar within the Zagros-Bakhtiari region in southwestern Iran embraces a tradition of two to three centuries of Iranian art, starting from the use of well-rooted Hellenistic heritage at Izeh-Malamir. The choice of this specific boulder, already bearing an Elamite relief, suggests that this enclosed spot represented a regionally important cult site where the reaffirmation of royal power and the necessity of political propaganda was evoked by the kings of Elymais.