The fall of the Pahlavi regime and the emergence of the Islamic Revolution paved the way for many artists to create innovative works with the theme of the Islamic Revolution. In this situation, the artists, based on the spiritual atmosphere aligned with the Islamic culture, established the foundations of the art of the Islamic Revolution. In fact, the art of the Revolution should be considered one of the brilliant periods of culture and art in the history of Iran. Enjoying a precise interpretation of the ancient Iranian-Islamic foundations and in accordance with the new principles of contemporary arts, the artists of this period engaged in this field in order to establish the art form of the Islamic Revolution based on the elements of Iranian art and the spiritual atmosphere aligned with Islamic culture.
The art of the Revolution is a reflection of the existing ideas in line with this movement. The works created with this theme are the ones in which the main ideas of the Revolution are reflected and crystallized. If the theme or hidden content of a work was reviving or artistically explaining one of the messages of the Revolution, it would fall in the category of the art of the Revolution. On the one hand, the art of the Revolution is a mirror of the artist’s ascension toward God and the manifestation of His goodness and beauty in imaginary forms, and on the other hand, it is a reflection of his mystical and painful presence in the field of defending the freedom and dignity of the Revolution.
Such forms and themes of art, which are the result of mankind’s descent from the paradise of faith to the hell of egotism and seeking self-interests, are negated in the art of the Revolution, and new forms and meanings would emerge in proportion to the greatness and beauty of the Revolution. Therefore, the art of the Revolution is popular; but this feature is not the same as vulgarity and does not affect its beauty and richness. The art of the Revolution belongs to people because it addresses their pure and divine nature and invites them to remember and reflect on the truth of the Revolution.
Features of the Art of the Islamic Revolution
1) People’s role: In the Revolution, a large part of the population is effectively mobilized. Popular participation in a revolution requires elements such as organization by the leadership or party and ideology.
2) Specific ideology: Relying on a specific ideology, insightful leadership and passionate people, the Islamic Revolution of Iran showed that this movement does not lack free will and thinking. Rather, it is the result of a specific political thought that even in a situation where the theoreticians of the revolution believe that the occurrence of a revolution is impossible, it can bring about a great transformation in the structures of the society thereby destroying a long-standing system that enjoys internal and external support. In fact, the stronger the ideology is, the wider the mobilization of groups would be. The element of ideology includes a set of determining elements that are usually present in the art of the Islamic Revolution.
3) Guiding leadership: It is obvious that people who are brought up in the context of Islamic culture and have complete familiarity with the Qur’an, sunnah, Islamic jurisprudence and teachings could lead the Islamic Revolution. Accordingly, only the clergy can lead the Islamic movement.
4) Fundamental change: Revolution means change and therefore it results in transformation and deep and fundamental developments in the field of values, and new values replace the previous ones.
5) Violence: In the process of the revolution, the use of force and violence is mutually unavoidable; because neither the government will surrender to the revolutionaries, nor will the revolutionaries refrain from using violence if necessary.
6) Intensity and pace: Despite the relatively long formation process of revolutions, they would emerge suddenly and secretly.
Referring to the popularity of revolutionary art Dr. Sadeqi states: ‘As far as the revolutionary art is concerned, the artists have a special self; the work was a reflection of their own perceptions and they interpret and paint the truth that is also manifested in the people. Therefore, the audience is the artist himself and the people who judge the work. The artist expresses the inner manifestations of people and flourishes and transcends with the phenomena and beliefs that were not even imprinted in himself but saw them in the actions of people; he introduces the martyr and the justice seeker.’
Constitutive Elements of the Art of the Islamic Revolution
The flourishing of spiritual and religious art in Iran coincided with the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution, and this movement was a renewed covenant between man and the God Islam presents. This commitment brought something that touched the souls of its followers and this affection could be seen in their works.
The art of the Revolution, temporarily, demanded a visual culture in such a way that with the cultural change of the Revolution, this visual culture was also developed; this culture was a reconstruction of a ‘conceptual aesthetic understanding’ that in the first days of the Revolution was more about the ‘subject and the theme’ than the form, and later one focused on the ‘concept and symbol.’ Therefore, it should be said that one of the factors and elements that shape and form the art of the Revolution, during different periods, is the ‘symbolic elements’ that are rooted in tradition and spiritual customs.
Picture 1: (Ya Tharallah), Naser Palangi
The use of such elements in the artworks has continued until today. Considering the artworks created during the aforementioned period, one may argue that spiritual values and symbolism have a high position. The artists affiliated with the Revolution, by using a spiritual factor, moved the pre-revolutionary art towards the one with Iranian identity. From another point of view, the artists were and are very eager to present their works through beautiful designs and forms and draw the world’s attention toward their Iranian culture and identity.
Among the cases that can be referred to as the element of the art of the Islamic Revolution, which somehow relates to the element of the symbol, is the use of old (traditional) models and patterns in the artworks of this period. By using these elements in their works, the artists affiliated with the Revolution sought to express a new experience in their works and therefore they held a special place in contemporary art.
For example, Khazaei sees the use of the element of miniature in paintings and posters as proof of this claim. In many of these posters, the presence of the cypress (Picture 2), the light aura (Picture 3), etc., are all taken from the elements of Iranian painting with a new symbolic concept in accordance with the principles of visual arts.
Picture 2: (Cheshm-e Narges), Kazem Chalipa
Picture 3: (Miraj-e Shahid), Mohammad Ali Rajabi
Among the other constituent elements of the art of the Revolution is ‘ethics.’ Referring to ethics a pillar in the art of the Revolution, Rahnavard states in his book that the subjects chosen by the artist have been influenced and flourished by ethics and conflated with a religious view. Furthermore, he believes that this does not mean that the artist’s hand is tied in terms of choosing the subjects, rather it requires us to deal with immoral issues such as crime, vulgarity, theft and debauchery, with precision and delicacy and even with using symbolic expressions and the intention of strengthening morality and ethics. Bolkhari also is of the opinion that the Revolution stands up against all passive tendencies and imitative in the field of art and creates a new arena which reflects the moral aspect of this movement inviting the audience to observe ethical codes and morality. Therefore, the more the work is influenced by morality and ethics, the closer it is to the concept of revolutionary art, and if it lacks reflecting morality, it will no longer be in line with the message of the Revolution.
Another element is ‘man’ who played a significant role in paintings, posters, caricatures, graphics, etc. of that period. Typically, since the revolutions seek the liberation of man from oppression, injustice and exploitation, they address the interest in the man and the issues that are formed around his joys and sufferings. This is one of the common elements that can be seen in the French, Soviet, and Mexican revolutions, as well as in the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Pictures and scenes pertaining to sympathy and expressing affection as well as supporting people who are in pain (Picture 4) and on the other hand, expressing anger and disgust towards oppressors and arrogant people (Picture 5) are among the themes that have been addressed frequently in the works of artists.
Picture 4: (Marthiyah), Naser Palangi
The last and somehow the most important element that forms the art of the Islamic Revolution of Iran is ‘religion.’ Many believe that art in the Islamic Revolution – that is, the art that must address the issue of Revolution and its intellectual foundations – is the one that its creators accept the absolute sovereignty of God, and in fact, they define the orientation of art based on its origin:
‘The origin and source of an artist’s values in Islamic society is Allah Who is the source of all values and all beings.’
Picture 5: (Bahre-Keshi), Habibullah Sadeqi
Reference: Proceedings of the 9th Congress on Pioneers of Progress.
Archive of Culture and Art
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