The absent history of Iranian women painters A sociological study of women painters from constitutional revolution till Islamic revolution

The study of the history of Iranian fine arts shows the scarce contribution of female artists. In fact, Linda Nochlin with asking this controversial question that: “Why have there been no great women artists?” presents a challenge that can be traced universally. This study examines the role of female painters and the sexual aesthetics of their works between two key eras in Iran: The Constitutional Revolution and the Islamic Revolution. With Nochlin’s emphasis on the rarity of female artists, it is obvious that, in spite of their relatively strong presence, their artistic actions and technical evaluations has been almost neglected.
Furthermore, there has been inattention to the influence of female painters in art schools and colleges in Pahlavi era; a period in which modern teaching methods were flourished. Using the sexual analysis in the artworks of women painters, this study tries to discover some reliable patterns. In fact its findings show that issues like “masculine modernism and the absent sex”, “reproduction of masculine look”, “rethinking of feminine mind” and “passive sexism” has grouped women artworks into different classes.
Study of the modern female artists of Iran comprises a rich diversity in relation to social change and significant artistic alterations, from traditional and classic methods to using modern techniques.