Art is the quality of expressing and delivering a message in a beautiful, delicate and tasteful way. It is the most accurate and explicit means of reflecting noble thoughts and ideals and any idea, thought or revolution that does not employ art would be temporary and fruitless.
The Position of Art before the Islamic Revolution
Before the 1979 Revolution, art was used by the rulers as a means of fulfilling their illegitimate goals. In that system, art was oppressed because it was separated from human values and ideals. Those who relied on force and wealth wanted a means to maintain their rule. Art was doomed to serve the interests of the oppressors and the misers thereby justifying their actions, misleading people, and when necessary, opposing the original values. Undoubtedly, like all the beautiful manifestations of life, art was subjected to serve the temptations and interests of the arrogant and tyrants as well as those accumulating wealth in various ages. However, despite these ugly attributes the ill-wishers ascribed to such a heavenly gift, they will never be able to destroy its true grace and value. When an artist, who may realize the facts with his keen eye, shape them with his creative mind and put them on display, looks at the reality of the society, he would find it to be full of emptiness, corruption, oppression, aggression, ignorance, prejudice, materialistic desires, and fantasies, and consequently see wealth, lust, and seeking pleasures as the best goods of that value system.
The artist had to surrender, remain isolated, or be pushed in the direction that political domination had determined. There were many artists who, "did not officially kiss the hands of the rulers, but in practice, followed them. Thus, art has an unfortunate and embarrassing history."
In the late 1950s and during the 1960s, when progressive theater and cinema gradually inclined towards leftist tendencies, the anti-religious scenes became more prominent. It should be noted that after the emergence of the clergy’s movement in 1961, the arrogant regime endorsed any anti-religious tendencies, even leftist, in order to counter the spread of revolutionary Islam among the younger generation. During the years before the victory of the Revolution, art had experienced a state of exile, because it had been misused and misrepresented. It does not mean that the society was completely devoid of art and artistic values, rather, art served the interests of the rulers. In other words, they had dominated all the tools of art and human artistic creativity. However, after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, most of the art themes and artistic currents were changed.
Under the previous regime, art was in the hands of those in power, and in fact, was degenerated. Nonetheless, after the victory of the Revolution, art began playing a more prominent role mostly through efforts being made by the youth who were seen as the emerging artists. From 1978 until today, art and its various forms such as performing arts and poetry have played a prominent role and subsequently, the youths who were interested in art became active under the supervision of revolutionary artists.
The Necessity of the Transcendent Art with a Distinguished Content and Format
Without a doubt, the Revolution needs art, and since the art of the Revolution on the one hand should convey new ideas and deal with all the conflicts and hostilities from which no revolution is immune, and on the other hand, must establish such new perceptions in the minds of the people, it inevitably should be distinguished, glorious and progressive or in other words, transcendent.
Art is the most beautiful form for conveying new messages to all people, and enlightened artists have always been able to present the noblest understandings and ideas to the next generations through a unique and everlasting way. The committed artist "does not employ his glorious creativity except for addressing values and noble themes, and this is how one of the most delicate manifestations of human soul would be apprehended."
The artist should be vocal in conveying noble ideas. In addition, encouraging committed artists in the community as well as nurturing the them should be pursued as a fundamental step. The artist, however, has a responsibility with respect to the form and format and the theme. One who possesses an artistic talent should not be satisfied with a low-level. This is a commitment. An artist who does not strive for the excellence of his work and developing creativity, in fact, failed to fulfill his responsibility regarding the form. The artist should constantly be active and continue making efforts in order to elevate the art form. This commitment is not realized without having a sense of passion, love and responsibility - of course, this sense by itself is also a responsibility; it is like a power that encourages man to do something and prevents him from being influenced by laziness and lethargy-.
The Islamic nature of some artworks, such as playwriting, depends on their content. Theater and other arts that entered our country in the last half-century, when Islamic values were degraded, were naturally developed on a non-Islamic basis and promoted through a trajectory that opposed and even contradicted Islamic teachings. The westernized people who introduced these basic arts to our Muslim nation were completely alien, and perhaps hostile, to Islam. Therefore, they sought to indoctrinate the people, especially the new generations, with the view that theater and cinema have a non-religious and anti-religious nature and cannot/should not be used to present Islamic teachings. However, it should be noted that Islamic art is fundamentally different from that of Muslims. Mostly these two notions are being mistaken for each other. If a Muslim creates a song or a movie, that song or movie is made by a Muslim, but it is not necessarily Islamic. Islamic art is a phenomenon in which there is a constructive element of Islamic thought i.e., in its artistic form in addition to its content. Hence, it is the responsibility of the artists to realize the nature and context of Islamic art.
The format of the artwork is as important and valuable as its theme. A beautiful form makes a beautiful object look ugly, and to have such a beautiful form in the field of art, merely using talent is not enough, rather, education would also be necessary. Artists who can teach the principles of art should rush to help the young generation in this regard. All forms of art are divine gifts that should serve the creation of God and convey noble divine ideals. Of course, these characteristics may only be found in something that is regarded as an art in every sense of the word, because otherwise, it will not remain and cannot convey its message. Beauty has the attraction without which no one even looks at the object let alone seeks to understand its message. Moreover, we need initiative and innovation in language, theme, beauty, and if necessary, style and form.
Art is the most beautiful format for conveying all new messages as knowledgeable poets and orators have always been able to present the highest human perceptions and knowledge to the next generations. Of course, appropriate forms and acceptable techniques should be used in all fields of art. On the other hand, artists should use art in the service of the Revolution and Islam, both of which are the most precious things for the people. In addition, they ought to use this divine gift for elevating people’s thoughts and removing the harmful manifestations of foreign culture from art. In other words, the artists, while preserving the excellence of art, should try to bring it into the hearts and minds of the people and reject the notion that art is a luxury product that belongs to a specific group.
Art and the Revolutionary Artist
Today’s art in Iran is the art of resistance, not that of surrender and compromise. Such art is the main condition of awareness as well as courage in the face of a brutal invasion which utilizes all means to suppress and humiliate the Iranian nation. The remnants of the art of the era of tyranny, which feature submitting to foreign cultures, cannot play a role in the construction of today’s revolutionary culture and art. If the revolutionary literature pursues the current path of growth and excellence, it can become a new model for the literature of this era. Only an artist, who has experienced a divine and popular revolution and become familiar with the transcendent value system in a divinely inspired atmosphere, may describe the ideal image of life and the ugly and beautiful points of human behaviors and practices in today’s world, and outline a path that leads man towards true comfort, felicity and excellence.
Of course, revolutionary art is still inchoate and needs more evaluation. This newly sprouted seedling grows gradually. Accordingly, all artists have a duty, as art and morality require, to make these newly seedlings fertile and flourishing.
The pressures exerted by the colonial countries should never be considered an obstacle to the creation of revolutionary works. A difficult period for a country - be it the hardship caused by war, economic measures, or various political pressures - is a period of demonstrating the capacities of the nation. That is why the best artworks or their beautiful parts are related to these periods in which a country was under the pressure. By studying the current works of fiction, we would realize that the best and most artistic writings and great novels are related to the parts describing how a nation takes a great step. The Islamic Revolution is a permeant phenomenon because it has been supported by divine guidance and people, and accordingly, art should be employed to deepen its values. Artists must make a sword by the artistic tools to eradicate impurities so that to pave the way for the promotion of purity, sincerity and piety in society. Accordingly, they should put effort into promoting art education, and also the officials and those involved in the affairs of culture and art in the government must provide all the necessary facilities for such development. Moreover, artists should choose the profound themes in order to be able to strengthen and promote this holy thought and pure spirit i.e., the Islamic Revolution- which has emerged in the impure and dark world that relied on the ideals and interests of colonial and anti-Islam countries- based on Iranian model of progress.
Reference: Proceedings of the Tenth Congress of the Pioneers of Progress.
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