A Reexamination of Saqqā-ḵāna Painting from the View of Gadamer Hermeneutics

Saqqā-ḵāna artists looked to cults, rituals, and visual elements of folk and local vernacular culture for inspiration. Although many of these items appeared crude in their execution and lacked the artistic polish of artifacts made by professional calligraphers and painters, and were often created collaboratively as a kind of street art, their true significance was not lost to these artists. Viewed from this perspective, Saqqā-ḵāna artists could be in fact considered successors to Iranian craftsmen of earlier centuries miniaturist, illuminators, calligraphers, and goldsmiths. In the view of the above-mentioned modern artists however, these roots had to be linked to modern styles and fused to create a distinctly national artistic expression.
The Saqqā-ḵāna movement in the sixties tried to find and establish a “national” or “Iranian” school of art. Exploring the various resources of folk decorative arts and designs, and reinterpreting of the traditional art forms, inspired and stimulated the artists to create innovatory works. Saqqā-ḵāna artists used these elements in a variety of forms and numerous structural compositions. Many forms of traditional Persian arts and crafts were explored, including popular printed prayers; talismanic and magical seals, amulets, and shirts; astrolabes, props used in mourning processions; motifs from local handicraft (rugs, carpets); ancient pottery motifs; such popular religious artifacts as the Jām-e ⋲ehel kelid (the forty keys vessel) and the panja-e panj tan (the Five Holy Ones’ palm of the hand); elements of Qajar art; enameled bowls from Rey adorned with horse-riders; and Persian calligraphy and painting; Achaemenid and Sasanian inscription or epigraphy, and Assyrian bas-reliefs. Persian poetry and eastern gnostic and mystical symbols also featured in the works of these artists.
The Saqqā-ḵāna movement has been among the most important of artistic movement of Iran that its artists have worked with a national approach. This research with the aim of studying of Saqqā-ḵāna painting with usage of Gadamers’ Hermeneutics of meaning, with a descriptional-analytical approach, attempts to answer to the question: how much is connected and explainable type creation of the works of artists in this movement with the meanings of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics. It is supposed due to proximity of the meanings of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics with the substrate formation and creation of Saqqā-ḵāna works, the meanings provide a suitable ground for representing of this movement.
Gadamer believes when the interpreter confronts with one old context, he/she transfers it to his/her contemporary time and sits and talks with it. saqqā-ḵāna painters have used old contexts namely elements and traditional motifs that have been from the past within the thought of their own time. Gadamer believes in the meantime, the interpreter enters his/her prejudices in the interpretion that is meant their thoughts proportional with his/her own time.
the saqqā-ḵāna painter has used the past motifs that have been in the traditions with a national language and according to his/her contemporary approaches. these motifs have common language with Iranian tradition. Meanwhile, the historical and social conditions as the ground, has been very effective.