Saqakhaneh Movement in Contemporary Iranian Art and its Relationship with Modern or Postmodern Artistic Approaches

There is no correct understanding of the basics and history of postmodernism and contemporary art in Iran, so there is no correct understanding of the modernity or postmodernity of some contemporary Iranian works of art, including the Saqakhaneh approach, which is the focus of this research. In this study, by reviewing the most important features of modern art and postmodern art, the conditions for the emergence of the Saqakhaneh school have been examined in order to determine the affiliation of the stylistic approach of the Saqakhaneh school. The existence of some identity and traditional signs in the art of Saqakhaneh has caused misunderstanding that this school belongs to modern art or postmodern art. Therefore, this study tries to answer the question, "Does the attempt to show the Iranian identity in the Saqakhaneh movement put it in the field of postmodern art?" In the last years of the 1940s, Iran's social and cultural developments had a great impact on the formation of Iranianized art (a combination of tradition and modernity). The artists of this period, by combining Western and Iranian art, tried to modernize Iranian art and painting. The most important current in modern Iranian art was the Saqakhaneh movement, which sought to reconcile modernity and Iranian tradition during the second Pahlavi era. In order to show the Iranian identity in their works, the Saqakhanehs turned to many familiar forms of Iranian daily life. Including: prayers, spells, marriage deeds and visual elements of Shiite culture, in order to create a work that has an Iranian identity So the hypothesis of this research is that “Considering the structuralism features and lack of critical approach in presenting Iranian identity, which can be seen due to the tourist-friendly characteristics of Saqakhaneh's works, Saqakhaneh's movement can be considered a modern approach in contemporary Iranian art, despite its display of Iranian identity”. It can be said that the thematic nature of contemporary art merged with the popular interest in the Saqakhaneh school and created a new kind of pop art. The two basic components of modern art are independence and the self-sufficiency of the work of art, and the other is being a pioneer or avant-garde. Also, the importance of structuralism, the emphasis on the inner signs of the work, the emphasis on the form instead of the artwork media, and the emptying of art of messages outside of its aesthetics and the emergence of the concept of art for art's sake. In contrast, in postmodern art, commitment was formed. Empiricism became more important than structuralism, and the artistic media became more diverse. Unlike in modern times, the expression of concept and idea became important even without the aesthetic dimensions approved by modernity. The signs of Iranian culture in Saqakhaneh's works do not have the deconstruction required for postmodern art; because they depend on Iran's traditional and cultural codes. For this reason, as well as the use of modern art media, they do not have the necessary deconstruction. The presence of identity marks on the surface layer of a work of art cannot be considered a criterion for considering them postmodern. Based on the findings of the research, the works of Saqakhaneh were formed in accordance with the prevalence of historicism at the level of its contemporary society and approved by the government, the artistic current of Western pop art and in an attempt to identify modern Iranian art, and because of its structuring as well as some orientalist features and non-critical approach, it cannot be considered a postmodern school of art. Factors, characteristics and school conditions of Saqakhaneh school are mentioned below: - Cultural institutions support artists in government policies. -The influence of artistic space on anti-Western currents, especially the speeches and writings of personalities such as Jalal Al-Ahmad and Ali Shariati. - Artists keep up with modern Western art and pop art schools and abstract expressionism. - Artists keep up with modern Western art and pop art schools and abstract expressionism. -Artists' efforts to combine the visual elements of Western modern art with Iranian visual traditions. -The use of popular, religious visual elements, especially Shiite religious elements. - Creating works that the audience can clearly see being Iranian by watching them. - Using the techniques of combining materials, collages and mating objects. -Creating a symmetrical space in the composition of works. - Coloring to mimic traditional Iranian paintings, as well as colors that include azure, turquoise, brown, ocher, and gold; In such a way that the image space in the audience's eyes evokes a nostalgic feeling. The research method is qualitative type and by describing the observations of samples of Saqakhaneh works of art, and considering the historical context and also extracting the most important features of modern and postmodern art, it has provided the required information through library search.