Iranian Art Research Articles

Assessing the Discourse System and the Visual Utterance System in the Artworks of Committed Iranian Paintings in the 60s and 70s

An attempt is made to answer the questions: How to base the Utterance system in the visual texts of Iranian painting, based on commitment discourse theory in the literature of the 60s and 70s? and What is the main difference between the Utterance and Discourse systems in visual arts? The generating institutions of this type of Utterance system necessitate the referential function for visual texts as the main component in the formation of such texts. According to these institutions, production of artwork as classical and ornamented texts convey only one meaning, unlike the phenomenal texts with multiple meanings, next to illustrating how some outstanding and common semantic signs lead to the formation of this type of Utterance system in the Iranian art.

Under the Watchful Eyes of the Supreme Leader: Iranian Politics and the Art Market

Abstract This article studies the relationship between politics and the art market. It adopts the Iranian model and analyzes how the political advancement of the Islamic Republic influenced aesthetics, art production, and the art market, to highlight how a conservatively religious model—governed by theocracy—impacts an otherwise prosperous and affluent culture. As such, this study also explores the correlation between art and moral virtues within a society. According to data, exportation of Iranian art was enjoying a far more lucrative climate the world over prior to the 1979 revolution. After the Islamic Revolution, artists, collectors, art galleries, and museums were forced to carve a confined space of existence and self-expression as a consequence of the endless limitations imposed. The political realm directly affected artists’ aesthetics, materiality, subject matter, and exposure. Artists were somewhat isolated from the global art scene, and their practice was defined by predetermined moral restrictions and boundaries. As for the art market, it became a hidden and unregulated market where the sale of artworks was muddled with money laundering and illegal exchange.

Legacies of Protest Art in Iran

This article examines the art practice of a group of professors and students—who later came to be known as Group 57—at the Fine Arts College of the University of Tehran during the revolutionary period of 1978 to 1980. Through interviews with artists and art historical research, the authors describe the artists’ workshop where they produced posters against the Shah, the United States, and imperialism. Their posters drew on the bold colors, clear text, symbolic imagery, and easy reproducibility of international radical poster art and the early Russian revolutionary avant‐garde. The authors recover these aesthetic and intellectual connections in the academic and professional training of the artists and in the art historical context of the posters themselves, examining the posters’ recent and more distant influences, and reinscribing the artists in the history of Iranian art and international art history. The authors also point toward connections between Group 57 and protest art in Iran today.

Graphic design to create a visual identity of Eram Shiraz Botanical Garden

Many Iranian gardens, especially those registered nationally and internationally, are full of pure Iranian art. One of the most beautiful gardens is Eram Botanical Garden. Available studies and visual evidence show no proper effort has been made for this garden to preserve and reproduce its visual heritage. Findings taken from motifs are shown in the form of logos and graphic images. The results of this study show that this garden, with a clear graphic identity based on its values and modern graphic designs, will increase the prosperity of Iranian art, and the development of tourism attracts and guides the audience.

Visual articulacy and periphrasis in the art of the unmentionable

ABSTRACT For reasons of personal safety, artists are not always allowed to mention directly and articulately events in history and the issues that arise therefrom. One of the skills of the artist is to employ suggestiveness and allusiveness in regard to what they are contemplating. This method is used in contemporary Iranian art. Here I take a number of examples from six contemporary artists who have used different means to fly under the radar of state authorities to be expressive without being explicit. In each of these the central idea is allusion as a way of not mentioning the precise subject so as not to incriminate the artist. In time, a shared imaginary of the unmentionable becomes the characteristic ‘language’ of the Iranian artist. My subject is a study of visual periphrasis in Iranian art in the modern period. This first appeared long ago in literary form in classical Persian poetry and has recently re-emerged in several modernist and contemporary movements in the art of protest and polemic in periods of repression and state censorship. I argue that this is concealed in the barely observable, or in what is missing altogether, and is present only in allusion and suggestion.

The color of history in contemporary Iranian art: intertextuality and its envisioned heterotopia

ABSTRACT The desire to reference, interpret, assign value, reconstruct, and envision the past is a critical matter within any culture – especially when expressed in the arts, which always supersede the procrustean limits of linguistic constructs and transcend the iterability inherent in the semantic postulations. The shadowy references in the arts have always illuminated, after scrutiny and in-depth examinations, the contemporaneous cultural sensibilities and emotional conditions that may be harbingers of novel beliefs and perspectives. In fact, one may say with some degree of certainty that history as is selectively constituted and reflected in the arts may well portend the future course of a people. This article is an attempt to examine the intersubjective, subliminal, and conscious portrayals of history, whether as metaphors or metonyms, in contemporary Iranian art. In this essay the contemplation of history conveys a preference for the arbitrary, random, and often fantastic constructs of the past that view history as ‘his’ or ‘her-story’. This ‘Critical-Creative’ approach plays a dominant role in undermining all metaphysical absolutes and Truth-centered ideas, be they religious, political, or philosophical. The outcome of these perspectives and aesthetic perceptions may well presage new social and political structures in the future of Iran.

History, heritage, and the site-specific in contemporary Iranian art

ABSTRACT Emerging in the context of American and European art during the 1960s, the term ‘site-specific’ has been employed to characterize art projects created with a specific location in mind. This departure from traditional artistic expressions within galleries and museums primarily focused on formal considerations, often divorced from the socio-political context of the site. In Iran, where site-specific art has flourished for nearly as long as in America, the concept of ‘site’ is deeply intertwined with history and heritage. Here, while formal aspects remain relevant, the shape and meaning of art are primarily shaped by the historical significance of the site. By primarily examining the work of Tehran-based artist Pooya Aryanpour, this article explores how Iranian site-specific artists have expanded the boundaries of art by establishing a dialogue between art objects and the rich history and cultural significance of specific sites. This practice has enabled Iranian artists to transcend the constraints of governmental institutions. Above all, site specificity empowers Iranian artists to facilitate intimate dialogues between art objects, history, heritage, and the people for whom heritage and cultural identity matter, further enriching the connection between art and history.

Exploring the hidden geometry in the physical of sacred buildings of Iran in the Zandiyeh Era (case study: Vakil Mosque)

ABSTRACT Geometry is one of the most important foundations of Iranian art and architecture, which can be seen in the magnificent buildings left from the past that are important in architecture. One of the most important buildings of Iran from the Zandiyeh Era (250 years ago) is Vakil Mosque, which is located in Shiraz. Vakil Mosque is a sacred and Islamic building in Iran, which is the aim of this article to investigate and find geometry in the architectural body of this building. In the current research, descriptive-analytical methods were used to collect data. Then I studied the geometrical drawings of this mosque, which some of the most important books of Muslim scholars in this field have been studied to obtain the geometry of the plan and elevations of Vakil Mosque, and after many tests and finding acceptable answers, options were proposed as the physical geometry of this sacred building. Finally, I came to the conclusion that the architect or architects of this magnificent building have used their utmost efforts in designing its physical to create golden proportions and regular geometry on it, and this order and geometry is the reason for the glory and strength of this building. The findings of this article can be used along with other similar studies to recognize Iran’s architectural works and restore its original Islamic-Iranian identity.

Taj Mahal is the Crystallization of Iranian Architecture and a Symbol of God's Throne on Earth

The Taj Mahal is basically related to the idea of Islamic architecture; although the influence of Islamic architecture on the Taj Mahal is clearly visible, traces of the influence of Iranian, Hindu, British, and Akbari architecture are evident in its structure. Taj Mahal is often known as a monument of love, but you can see it as a combination of architectural traditions and a monument of Iranian and Indian multiculturalism.According to the beginning of the arrival of Muslims in the Indus Valley, in the 8th century AD, except for the ruins of a small mosque, there is no other trace left from this period. But in the twelfth century AD, the arrival of Muslims started again with the creation of valuable works. After various periods and in the era known as the Mongols (Indian Gorkan), the architecture of the subcontinent achieved great prosperity with a significant influence of Iranian art. In historical sources, the names of Iranian personalities who played a key role in the construction of the Taj Mahal, such as Essa Shirazi (designer), Amanat Khan Shirazi (calligrapher) and Mohammad Hanif Kandahari, can be seen. Iranian art is one of the most essential identifiers of Islamic architecture, and the Taj Mahal is one of the most obvious examples of the presence of Iranian artists. The result of the research shows that due to the relations that Iran and India have had throughout history, especially during the Safavid and Gurkanian periods, the architectural culture and the construction of gardens and garden-mazars in India have been influenced by Iranian culture, literature, art and architecture. And for this reason, the Taj Mahal can be considered as the manifestation of the art of Islamic and Iranian architectural design in the Indian subcontinent, and what is called Mongolian architecture is essentially "Indian-Iranian Islamic architecture".

Art as an Image of The Shah

In 1566, after Sultan Suleiman’s death, Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-1576) sent condolences and congratulations to Sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1574) along with several gifts, including a magnificent Quran and an exquisite illustrated Shahnama copy, noteworthy in Iranian art history. However, the letter accompanying these gifts has often been overlooked, perceived as containing mere courtesies. This letter marked a significant exchange between Safavid kings and Ottoman sultans, with participation from secretaries across Iran. Its authors aimed to portray an idealized king and their notable characteristics, demonstrating that the actions of these rulers (Sultan Suleiman, Sultan Selim, and particularly Shah Tahmasp) aligned with this ideal. Art-related activities were among these characteristics. The authors detailed the Safavid king’s palace, garden, and the artistic gifts to highlight their connection with the king’s ideal image. This article explores the letter as a literary and artistic medium, delving into its intricate rhetoric as a tool for representing royal authority. Additionally, it addresses how the authors’ descriptions of artworks as integral to the king’s image conveyed political meaning, illustrating how art reflected royal power in public and political spheres.

Art at the Border: Sanctions and the Visual Arts of Iran

Abstract: This article enumerates the myriad direct and indirect consequences of sanctions on the visual arts. The author draws on ten years of research on the circulation of Iranian art through international exhibitions and the global art market, particularly in the geographies of the United Arab Emirates, Europe and the USA, a time period that encompasses both the Obama-era sanctions on Iran as well as the Trump-era sanctions. Technically, artworks fall under the category of "information and informational materials" and are not under sanction. Yet, given how U.S. sanctions ban any institutions from engaging in financial transactions with Iran, the trade and/or exhibition of art is sanctioned in practice. The idea that art is an exceptional field of life that should be protected evolves quite directly from the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant. In simple terms, his ideas about the role of art in society underpin Western ideals of art and the value system embedded within the sanctions. For Kant, art is as a vehicle for expressing both truth and beauty. Unpolluted by either the political or economic, art should occupy its own autonomous sphere. When "Art" embodies these ideas, it is frequently imagined as a salve, a balm to the ills of society, or a mirror to its problems. The artist is a special genius, both a voice and savior for society. The Iranian artist specifically is then savior of the nation. What happens to these voices and their art when sanctions designed to strangle a nation are deployed? What obstacles do they create for this vehicle of salvation?

Street art and public art in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The article is devoted to the review of the visual environment of modern Tehran and other cities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the context of the diversity of forms of monumental, urban and street art. The definitions of the basic concepts and tactics of the existence of contemporary art in the city, such as street art and public art, are given. Their aesthetic, conceptual components and genealogical prerequisites are revealed with an attempt to further adapt to the Iranian art scene, which can be characterized as young, dynamic, actively developing under the influence of a large number of specific socio-cultural features and external factors. The result of the article was an attempt to classify the diversity of these forms of urban art in Iran through the prism of dynamic intersections with its history, religion, political concepts, as well as world changes in recent decades, modern challenges and phenomena of urban culture, which determined the need for Iran to modernize and adapt a number of Western models for improving the living standards of its citizens, although the country remains closed and isolated from the outside world, and its culture is brightly colored by the desire for self-identification and localization. The article does not claim to be a comprehensive review of Iranian street art, but seeks to identify the most characteristic forms of its representation based on a business trip to Iran by one of the authors of the article.

ТЕЛЕСНОЕ В ВИДЕОИНСТАЛЛЯЦИЯХ ИРАНО-АМЕРИКАНСКОЙ ХУДОЖНИЦЫ И РЕЖИССЕРА ШИРИН НЕШАТ

The article studies the art of the famous Iran-American artist and director Shirin Neshat. The recognition of Neshat’s talent around the world and the demand for her works show to the relevance of the issues spotlighted in her works. Shirin Neshat’s video installations have become classics of modern art and the subject of scientific study for art historians, orientalists, cultural scientists, philosophers and a wide range of researchers. The artwork by Neshat is wildly known as the symbol of modern Iranian art. It reflects all the painful political events of the modern Iran history. The article focuses on corporeal practices considered on the example of key works of the artist. The video installations “Turbulent” (1998), “Rapture” (1999), “Soliloquy” (1999), “Fervor” (2000), “Passage” (2001). The article provides a consistent and detailed analysis of corporeal practices (facial expressions, gestures, body plasticity, voice vibrations, etc.) and the body itself as a tool through which the author constructs the space of an artistic statement. The article presents the new classification of the corporeal through the concepts of “political body”, “poetical body” and “autobiographical body” in the art of Shirin Neshat

Dash Kasan; an imperial architecture in the Mongol capital of Sultaniyya

The village of Varāy (Viyar) is located at the foot of Āq Dāgh Mountain in the southeast of Sultaniyya, Iran, and is known for its impressive rock-cut architecture called Dash Kasan. The history of Sultaniyya, which later became the Ilkhanid (Mongol rulers) capital, began with the issue of an order by Arghūn Khan (1258–1291 CE), to build a huge city enclosed by stone walls and fortifications. According to many in the field, Dash Kasan occupied a prominent place in the development of Arghūn’s architectural project; first as a stone quarry, and then as a Buddhist monastery. This building is unique in its architectural design and decoration. The site’s two large-scale dragon snakes carved out of cliffs, and the development of a vast open space by cutting the solid rock are the only examples of their kind in Iranian art and architecture. Although most of the debates on the identity of this site to date are centered on its religious function during the Mongol period, there is little architectural evidence to support this idea. Hence, the nature and the scope of earlier studies are not sufficient to substantiate the architectural discourse surrounding this monument. The aim of this paper is to study this enigmatic rock-cut complex to provide a more detailed description of the current remains. According to the results, the architectural layout of this building suggests it was originally designed as pre-Ilkhanid Mongolian ceremonial halls and reflects a Chinese, East Asian architectural influence that was evident and pervasive throughout the Mongol territories.

A STUDY ON SIMILE AND PURIFICATION IN THE “PHILOSOPHY OF DECORATION” OF IRANIAN ISLAMIC ART FROM IBN ARABI’S POINT OF VIEW

Iranian Islamic art refers to the works of culture and civilization of the Iranian Muslim nation in the Islamic era. In its thinking and epistemological nature, it has a different language from simile and purification and is associated with a rich philosophy called "decoration" based on spiritual manifestations. Therefore, in creating works based on a simile and purification attitude, the existence of truth has never been neglected and the art world has been considered as manifestations of truth. This research is a descriptive and analytical research. Through documents, libraries and field observations, various data were collected by examining the principles and components of simile and purification with emphasis on Ibn Arabi's point of view and analyzing of how the Muslim artist used and his goals of using the combination of the two components in the philosophy of decoration. The results show that "simile and purification", as a mystical approach, has led to the formation of a special language in the structure of Iranian art; therefore, in the philosophy of decoration, the mystic artist has used it as a tool to manifest the beauty and perfection of God in forms through the embodiment of unity.

A STUDY ON SIMILE AND PURIFICATION IN THE “PHILOSOPHY OF DECORATION” OF IRANIAN ISLAMIC ART FROM IBN ARABI’S POINT OF VIEW

Iranian Islamic art refers to the works of culture and civilization of the Iranian Muslim nation in the Islamic era. In its thinking and epistemological nature, it has a different language from simile and purification and is associated with a rich philosophy called "decoration" based on spiritual manifestations. Therefore, in creating works based on a simile and purification attitude, the existence of truth has never been neglected and the art world has been considered as manifestations of truth. This research is a descriptive and analytical research. Through documents, libraries and field observations, various data were collected by examining the principles and components of simile and purification with emphasis on Ibn Arabi's point of view and analyzing of how the Muslim artist used and his goals of using the combination of the two components in the philosophy of decoration. The results show that "simile and purification", as a mystical approach, has led to the formation of a special language in the structure of Iranian art; therefore, in the philosophy of decoration, the mystic artist has used it as a tool to manifest the beauty and perfection of God in forms through the embodiment of unity.

A STUDY ON SIMILE AND PURIFICATION IN THE “PHILOSOPHY OF DECORATION” OF IRANIAN ISLAMIC ART (FROM IBN ARABI’S POINT OF VIEW, WITH EMPHASIS ON TWO BRICKLAYING INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE DOME OF TAJ-AL-MOLK, THE GRAND MOSQUE OF ISFAHAN IN THE SELJUK PERIOD OF THE 5-6TH CENTURY AH)

Statement of the problem. Iranian Islamic art refers to the works of culture and civilization of the Iranian Muslim nation in the Islamic era. It has properties and descriptions, which in its thinking and epistemological nature, have a different language from simile and purification and are associated with a rich philosophy called "decoration" based on spiritual manifestations. According to the type of subject, nature and method, this research is descriptive and analytical. Through documents, libraries and field observations, various data were collected by examining the principles and components of simile and purification with emphasis on Ibn Arabi’s point of view, analyzing how the Muslim artist used and his goals of employing the combination of the two components in the philosophy of decoration, and also recognizing the sacred geometric patterns in Iranian Islamic art (with a sample of studies on two geometric inscriptions from the dome of Taj Al-Molk in Isfahan Grand Mosque). Results. The analysis of the data and the results show that since "decoration" means the refinement and separation of the individual from his/her individuality, and "simile and purification" , as a mystical approach, has led to the formation of a special language in the structure of Iranian art; therefore, in the philosophy of decoration, the mystic artist has used it as a tool to manifest the beauty and perfection of God in forms through the embodiment of unity and expressed his/her immediate and intuitive perception of his/her inner journey without relying on material concepts or purely aesthetic perceptions to manifest the idea of the holy by using symbol and irony in simile and purification. He/she decodes and expresses the most exalted realities of creation and the actual concept of real unity in a mental state, in material and abstract forms, and geometric patterns to be understood by all. His/her art in all its aspects has been based on the monotheism of wisdom and on the emanation issued by the Divine speech. In fact, in his/her art, the Iranian Islamic artist combines the two principles of beauty and spirituality with " simile and purification" in the " philosophy of sacred decoration " and manifests the " sacred art ".

The Social Archigenre in Bahram Mirza’s Muraqqa based on Gerard Genette’s Theory

One of the materials used in compiling the history of Iranian art is Murraqa. Started from the primitive forms, these Muraqqas have gradually become specialized, and, in particular with the addition of the preface, have played an important role in drawing aspects of Iranian art history. Bahram Mirza’s Muraqqa (951AH) is one of the prominent works in this regard; a collection with an important preface, and impressive images, calligraphy and embellishments. This research aims to classify visual genres in Bahram Mirza’s Muraqqa, and to describe the features and the functions of the social archigenre and its distinctive themes. The analysis is concerned with such questions as which of the genres is the dominant one, and how the style and the themes are related. It is hypothesized that the social archigenre dominates Bahram Mirza’s Muraqqa which is consisted of the themes of the court, prominent figures and their social status. Based on Gerard Genette’s theory, the paintings are of epic, social, and lyric archigenres. The article, focusing on the themes of the social archigenre, tries to show first the importance of these images and then their distinctive features. Examiantion of the content and form of these paintings shows that changing social context and possibly the tastes of the patrons of the works has inclined the painters to show “ humans” of various social classes. The analysis of these paintings demonstrates some of the relations and aspects of the social life in the court. Moreover, it reveals parts of the ups and downs of the painting tradition of that time and its connection with the naturalism of the next generation. In Bahram Mirza’s Muraqqa, such social classes as rulers, courtiers, warriors, and servants with realistic details of their own are identifiable through visual evidence provided by the social archigenre. Methodologically, this basic research includes description, analysis, and evaluation processes which have been overlooked in some respects in previous researchs.

Comparative Study of Colored Stained Glass in Gothic Art with Sash-window making (Orosi Sazi) in Qajar Era; Case study of Charter Church and Salaar Saeid Mansion

In Europe, the use of colored stained glass in theconstruction of church windows was common,reaching their peak during the Gothic period. On theother hand, the tendency to use colored glass, calledOrosi (Sash), in Iranian architecture began in theSafavid era and, under the influence of Iranian culture and art, became a genuine art called Girih tiles; this art flourished unprecedentedly during the Qajar era. The present study aimed to identify intercultural links in Qajar era art with elements borrowed from Western culture and by comparing structural techniques, color, patterns, gender, and the impact of conceptual factors such as light tries to identify the possible similarities between the two methods based on matching the study samples of their two outstanding structures (Charter Church and Salaar Saeid Mansion). Since Iran, as a territory that is always at the center of cultural exchanges, asking about the relationship between this trend in Iranian architecture and its roots can be helpful in a better understanding of Iranian art. The present study is a practical-case study and methodologically is a descriptive-analytical study. The data were collectedusing a documentary study (library). Findings haveshown that the tradition of colored stained glass hasexisted more in European lands, and its formation in Iran is more influenced by imported cultural components. It can be claimed that the sash-window making (Orosi Sazi) during the Qajar era is the continuation of the same colored stained glass of Gothic art, although it is natural that cultural...

Islamic Geometries: Spiritual Affects Against a Secularist Grid

Discussions of surface pattern in Islamic art resonate within broader tensions about the role of figural representation in communicating meaning. The question of whether geometric pattern communicates—whether it functions as a language without a code—reflects broader tensions about the relationship between secular and spiritual communication. Poised between discussions of modernism and Islam, the attribution of linguistic capacity to geometry serves as a measure for the possibility of abstracting pure reason from the religious roots of representationalism. This paper explores this question in four parts. First, it examines the articulation of geometric meaning in Islamic discourses. It then explores European discussions of geometry between language and ornament poised between a search for universal reason and universal spiritualism, both in modernist painting and in modern exhibitions. The final section the expressive capacity of artistic responses to historical Islamic isometric geometries in the adaptive reuse of historical Iranian arts as contemporary abstraction in the sculptures of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1928–1919) and in the popular transformation prints of M. C. Escher (1898–1972). It argues that the frequent recognition of intrinsic meaning in geometry, expressed in both premodern Islamic and modern secular interpretations, undermines art historical expectations of theorization as a necessary intermediary for communication. Geometry thereby functions as a language without a code.