نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
Abstract
Writing and image in the tradition of Iranian painting have maintained a reciprocal and intertwined relationship. On the one hand, painting has served the illustration and interpretation of texts, while on the other, writing has played a significant role in explaining and complementing the image. With the transformation of Iranian painting traditions from the Safavid to the Qajar periods and the emergence of works independent of manuscript illustration, writing was gradually reduced to marginal inscriptions within paintings. In the modern period, this form of writing was largely limited to the artist’s signature, and the tradition of marginal annotation became obsolete. Nevertheless, Qahveh-Khaneh painters, continuing the Qajar painting tradition, preserved writing in their works and employed it as a meaningful and prominent visual element. With the developments of modern Iranian painting, writing reappeared once again—this time with a new approach—in the works of artists associated with the Saqqakhaneh movement.
The main objective of this study is to examine and compare the function of writing in these two artistic currents and to elucidate their semantic and aesthetic differences. The principal research questions are: What functions does writing serve in the works of Qahveh-Khaneh painters? What role does writing play in the works of artists of the Saqqakhaneh movement? What similarities and differences exist between the functions and outcomes of employing writing in these two artistic contexts? This research adopts a qualitative approach and employs a descriptive–analytical and comparative method, based on the analysis of selected exemplary works from Qahveh-Khaneh painting and the Saqqakhaneh movement.
The findings indicate that in Qahveh-Khaneh painting, writing—primarily serving expressive purposes—plays a narrative-oriented, referential, and meaning-centered role. Accordingly, linguistic writing is most prevalent and is formed in direct connection with oral and ritual culture. By contrast, in the Saqqakhaneh movement, writing often departs from linguistic legibility and is transformed into a formal, identity-forming, and symbolic element within the visual structure of the artwork. This transformation signifies a shift in Iranian art from collective, narrative-based expression toward the representation of cultural identity within the framework of modern art.
کلیدواژهها English
