Poetry and Painting in the Qajar Period: A Challenge between Tradition and Modernity

Social, political and cultural developments of Iran in Qajar period exposed the strictly traditional society of Iran to the waves of western culture and in general caused an unprecedented situation. In this article, an attempt is made to study the possible impacts of social developments on the poetry and painting in the Qajar period. To do so, first the social and cultural situation of the period is briefly considered. Then, by investigating the poetry and painting of that period, the paper considers four approaches, two of which are quite new. The use of different styles in expressing artistic expressions by poets and painters seems to be nothing but testing the ways to escape from such social-cultural crisis. Finally, it is concluded that common social situations have had a similar effect on these two kinds of art; an effect which has caused a remarkable similarity between the two.