A Study of Coffeehouse Paintings Containing Religious Themes on Public Opinions

Coffeehouse painting is a style of painting created by illiterate painters during Qajar dynasty and began to grow based on social and political conditions of its time. Its clearest manifestation can be observed in constitutional period. The culmination point of these works was during Qajar dynasty and most of the audiences were man of ordinary people. It is assumed that coffeehouse paintings containing religious themes, particularly the event of Karbala, have a profound impact on publics’ religious beliefs. In present paper, after presenting a short description of coffeehouse painting, the effects of narrators and artists of the mentioned time were also examined. To do so, several works of prominent artists of this school have been analyzed, those who have created scenes with religious themes. The research question is that; what was the impact of such paintings on public beliefs? This study aims to evaluate the effects of coffeehouse paintings and narrations on the publics’ beliefs and values. Results show that these paintings are subjective and rooted in Iran›s Shiite-Islamic tradition and identity which leads to more and deeper understanding and relation of public with these narratives and, moreover, following the tradition of the Ahl al-Bayt, family of prophet Mohammad(peace be upon him). They have strengthened the sense of patriotism and vindication of the values and belief them. This study was a cross-sectional study and the data is collected using a librarian method.