مجله هنر و تمدن شرق
پیاپی 35 (بهار 1401)

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.

Afghanistan offers the platforms required for the emergence of architectural representation in modern art due to its history in the creation of technically, functionally, and aesthetically architectural remarkable buildings. In addition, there has been a necessity for examining the functions of architectural representation in contemporary paintings and the continuity of this visual perspective in the present era. Such a necessity has been reinforced by the unique perspective of Herat school on the representation of architecture in paintings, such as the transformation of buildings and nature into locations for the action of humans, as well as the use of architecture in this school‘s paintings. This study is qualitative research employing a descriptive-analytical method. To investigate what semantic and aesthetic roles architecture has played in the paintings of this nation during the previous four decades, data was gathered from the library, the internet, and archival resources. The findings revealed that architectural representation emerges in many forms. Sometimes it is used to describe the locations of events. Sometimes it is used as a painting pattern in naturalistic works to enhance the aesthetics of buildings. It is also employed as a visual document in history or ethnography, and it underlines the difference between tradition and modernization. Examples of cubist, surrealist and abstract representations of architecture can also be seen in the works.

Among different ethnic groups and nations and different cultures, significant elements have become symbols and signs, which are representative of the religion and beliefs of the nation or region and country. Some plants or animals in their borders and ecosystems for reasons such as usefulness, abundance, or other things have received so much attention that they have become a symbol and are of special importance in the culture and art of the people. Pomegranate flowers and fruits have a very important place in Iran, which in addition to beauty and prosperity goes back to the ancient Iranian beliefs of worshiping Mehr and Anahita. The purpose of this study is to investigate the evolution of pomegranate flowers in Iranian tiling and tulips in Ottoman Turkey. The present research is historical-analytical. Data including text and images were collected through a library research method. In this regard, historical and documentary studies were conducted on Iranian pomegranate and Ottoman tulip motifs. In this study, after introducing and examining these motifs, the types of flowers that adorn gardens are discussed and their special place in the decorative arts of the region are reviewed. The analysis shows that the role of the tulip is defined in relation to nature and the environment. However, its abundance and variety with the taste of artists have made the tulip a popular flower of the Ottoman sultans. Some other flowers have also been introduced in the review process. Also, some of the existing opinions about flowers have been criticized and new and analytical points have been discussed.

Ikat is one of the most exclusive fabrics in the world containing a different weave and etching compared with others. Ikat artifacts are patterned textiles produced by knitting and making the wrap resistant to being dyed or dyeing the wrap before being knitted; this technique is known in most parts of the world. This textile is known as “Darayi” in Iran. The current research aims to identify the similarities and differences between hand-woven fabrics of Iran and Uzbekistan back in the time when both countries shared the same cultural geography. The current research aims to examine what differences and similarities are found between the patterns and colors of Ikats in Iran and Uzbekistan. This research is descriptive and analytical employing a comparative approach and library resources. The findings of this research reveal that Uzbekistan’s Ikat is more varied in terms of colors and patterns. In addition, the colors used in Uzbekistan’s Ikat are brighter. However, Ikat in Yazd consists of fewer variant colors and patterns and contains geometric designs. Although the fabric background, in Uzbekistan, is full of patterns, in Yazd, the aforementioned fabric is not filled with any patterns and some space can be observed.

The Persian garden, with its rich history, is the best landscaping pattern in Iran. It is the result of an interaction between an Iranian man and nature. The interaction between man and nature is reciprocal, meaning that one affects the other. This study aims to analyze the Persian garden using the Gestalt psychology perspective to investigate its effects on human perceptions of the surrounding environment. This study also investigates how Gestalt visual principles affect human perception of the existing structural systems of Persian gardens. To examine the extent to which Gestalt laws and structural systems match with the case study of Shahzadeh Mahan Garden, this study uses a phenomenological method and an analogical approach. For this purpose, this study scrutinizes the psychological and functional characteristics of the Persian garden, which can reveal the extent to which each of its features reflects the use of Gestalt laws. In this process, Gestalt perception laws were used to simplify the existing geometry of Iranian gardens and to investigate the effects of these laws on the perception of the surrounding environment in the case study. The findings suggest that the Persian garden, as a whole, results from the consistency of some elements whose structures by themselves do not convey a specific meaning. The great concept of the Persian Garden takes form as its elements (e.g., thinking, geometry, and a specific worldview) are arranged along with each other. The Persian garden is based on the Iranian person’s attitudes and beliefs in the face of his surroundings; thus, it is a cultural and multi-dimensional phenomenon rather than an artwork.

With the increase of the world’s population and the densification of urban spaces, urban residents are getting disconnected from natural green spaces. Association with natural and green spaces, one of the basic needs of people, is directly related to health benefits (e.g. physiological and mental). However, health researchers argue that the health benefits of urban green spaces are associated with people’s constant exposure to such spaces. Therefore, designers must identify and employ the factors that encourage people to use these places more frequently. Hence, traditional garden architecture, which is a legacy reflecting the cultural values of each country in organizing the natural environment, can be a good source for extracting the types of designs that create the context for individuals’ constant communication with such places. In this regard, to answer the question of “whether the architecture of Iranian gardens can serve as a guide for designing urban green space or not”, we used aesthetic analysis and identified the factors that create a sense of beauty in Iranian gardens. Semiotic analysis assisted us in evaluating the used symbols and signs in the garden architecture. To understand the concept of garden architecture, which makes the Iranian garden a distinct place, we used a phenomenological analysis method.