Silent Epic: Analysis of the Visual Structure of the Tile Painting of the Water Bearer of Karbala Based on Gestalt Principles

Abbas ibn Ali, known as the Water Bearer of Karbala, is one of the central figures in the Karbala event, inspiring numerous artists, especially muralists. One example is the tile painting in the shrine of Taj al-Din Gharib, created by Haj Baqir Jahanmiri. According to Gestalt theory, the human mind tends to categorize and organize visual elements during visual perception, such that the organized whole differs from the individual components. In Gestalt principles, the critical aspect of visual perception is understanding the relationships that lead to meaningful combinations. Accordingly, this tile painting represents structural changes in the visual narrative of the Karbala event during the Constitutional Era. The question of this research is How is the visual structure of the tile painting of the Water Bearer of Karbala organized based on Gestalt principles of visual perception?

To identify the visual perception features in the tile painting of the Water Bearer of Karbala in the Taj al-Din Gharib shrine.

The research employed genre analysis and documentary methods for data collection.

The findings indicate that after applying the seven Gestalt principles to the mentioned tile painting, strong Prägnanz was identified in the principles of similarity, proximity, continuity, closure or completeness, and common fate, aligned with Itten’s seven contrasts. Employing each of these principles facilitated a planned visual perception process. The presence of visual relationships, as emphasized by Gestalt theorists, enhanced the organization of the painting’s elements and simplified the audience’s understanding of the artwork.