A Study of Mythological, Traditional and Religious Motifs in Contemporary Calligraphy With Emphasizing The Works of Saqakhaneh Artists With an Intertextual Approach

Since the ancient times, art has been used as a medium to demonstrate emotions, beliefs and desires. Arts have always revealed various concepts of religion, myth, traditions and magic. Religion and myth have always had a direct relation with art at any time of human life. Thecombination of art and calligraphy, which is the main theme of the present research, is not exclusive to Iran, but it is spread out from Japan and Far Eastern culture to letterism in Central Europe. Trying to create an interaction between calligraphy and painting is always the concern of many visual artists. Such attempts of the foregoing artists have led to creating noticeably paramount and rich concepts, which has introduced a new version of art implied beyond the paintings. In other words, the capacity of Calligraphy could add new elements to paintings, neither of which is capable to convey individually. Artist’s moods, experience and feelings could be manifested through a valve known as the form, through which the viewers can perceive the artists’moods, feelings and experience. Creating such an atmosphere is the exact philosophy and mission of Islamic art.This study have examined four art works of four selected artists, with regard to this hypothesisthat basically the art of calligraphy has originated from Saqakhaneh School, which represents the traditional concepts of myth and religion as well as considering the inter text approach, I. the creation of an art work does not mean that artist has ignored the previous artistic works, but it shows the internalization of such art works in the artist’s mind and their mingling with his /her ideas, which leads to creating a new form of art work. Saqakhaneh School mingles art and painting to create the tradition of calligraphy and modern painting, which in fact the Iranian nationalistic art. As Saqakhaneh artists searched for an approach to combine the historical art of Iran with the world’s contemporary arts, the frequent presence of tradition, religion and myth-oriented paintings can be seen in the works of artists. Morever, as the name of Saqakhaneh indicates, it has been inspired by the school of Ashura and Shiism. Due to this fact, their works can be considered as intertext theme, which is one of the critical approaches in the realm of Art and Literature; therefore, this attitude should be considered more significant.The research question is: what mythological, traditional and religious motifs exist in the calligraphy works of Saqakhane school artists and what are the common and intertextual elements in these works? In the process of studying this research, the characteristics and reason of the formation of this flow, the type of symbols used in these works and their classification have been investigated.The purpose of this research is to identify the common elements and the type of influence and conceptual and intertextual transitions in the works of calligraphers of the Saqakhane school.The second goals of this research is identifying the place of this art and relationship of this art with two independent fields of painting and calligraphy, as well as the diversity of Saqqakhane artists' views on the subject of custom, legend and religious components.Using a descriptive-analytical method and a library collection approach, we have discovered that the examined works exhibit common traditional elements such as "Padlock," "Alam," "Panjeh," Iranian and traditional symbols like "Cypress," "Talismans," "Horses," "Miniatures," "Shekasteh Nastealiq," and mythological symbols such as "Lion" and "Sun." Traditional symbols are the most frequently employed elements in Saqakhane works, rooted in traditional Iranian art. An analysis of these artists' works reveals a close connection between calligraphy and painting, with the skillful integration of Iranian religious and cultural elements, ritual symbols, and traditional icons fostering a deep spiritual connection with the audience. For instance, artists like Zindarudi blend architectural elements and vibrant colors, creating works imbued with prayer hymns. The works of others are filled with profound secrets and wonders. Through a detailed analysis, it becomes apparent that their creative endeavors skillfully combine artistic taste with these elements, resulting in remarkable contributions to Iranian and global art. The artists of the Saqakhane School, driven by their nationalist spirit and a commitment to establishing a new artistic tradition, delved into the art of their ancestors to discover fresh sources of inspiration. Their intentionally created works draw from previous texts, utilizing mythology, legends, and religious and ethnic concepts to shape their artistic creations in an intercultural context. This approach has sparked interest from fellow artists and art enthusiasts. The amalgamation of various components has given the artists of this school a distinctive style, uniting Western artistic elements with the traditional aesthetics of "Ghahveh Khaneh" and transforming them into Islamic calligraphy. The strong intertextual presence in these works, along with the incorporation of past cultures through innovative approaches, can be seen as dynamic forces rejuvenating Islamic Iranian values for future generations.