The Analysis of War Reflections in Kazem Chalipa's Paintings According to Panofsky Case Study: Three Works on the Theme of Mother/ Woman

In Iranian art history, Kazem Chalipa is recorded as one of the pioneer Iranian artists who are known as painters of Islamic Revolution. He has been a painting student of Hannibal Alkhas at Tehran University Faculty of Fine Arts and under his supervision he learned and gained experience. Since being grown up in a religious family, with the advent of the revolutionary movements, he joined the artists who believed in committed social art and created works influences by the society. These artists artistically returned to the society the sense they have received from; the path that continued during the years of Iran-Iraq war and then after. In this paper, the artist’s viewpoints about Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense paintings are discussed. Then, among twelve works of his which have reflections of Iran-Iraq war, three works focusing on the role of women/mother are analyzed. These studies showed that Chalipa is an ethnographer. He uses a variety of symbols. Signs of Ghahve Khaneh (Coffee House) Art can be clearly traced in his works and women/ mothers are the subjects of many of his works. Chalipa has painted them in different ages: young, adult and aged and has tried to depict them with their ethnic garments while his main intention is to emphasize the role of women and their protective spirit and role in contemporary social events, particularly in Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense.