New Qajarism in the Iranian Contemporary and Modern Visual Arts*

Qajar art” in some way is the art of a transition period. Its themes and contents refer to an unborn future and merely depict the past. The art of this period shows a transient (ephemeral) condition caused by various but significant factors including the beginning of modernism in Iran, the advent of the publishing industry, the propagation of intellectualism, the establishment of “Dar ul Funun”, and the popularity of individualism. In recent decades, Iranian contemporary artists have shown a great interest in Qajar art. The major concern of this study is to understand why Qajar art has been the topic of interest. To this end, this study examines the pertinent samples and employs a descriptive-analytical method to investigate the hidden elements and signs of the works of contemporary and modern Iranian artists associated with the Qajar period. Preliminary analysis shows that most of the elements and features of Qajar art are still present in today’s art. These elements can fall into three categories:1) Works that have directly benefited from Qajar art, 2) Works that have been affected by the motifs and symbols of the Qajar period, 3) Works whose hidden layers trace back to Qajar art. The use of Qajar art by contemporary artists includes various reasons such as, but not limited to, the arrival of the camera and picture video archives. In addition, the existence of art markets beyond Iran has had an impact on this trend.