Iranian art

The Iran (formerly Persia) is one of the world who left us a cultural and artistic extremely rich and universally appreciated. This includes many disciplines such as poetry, the architecture, the mosaic, the Persian miniature, the weaving, the pottery, the calligraphy, metal work and stone.


The Fine Arts Persian

The Persian carpet

From the yarn fiber to the colors, every part of the Persian carpet is traditionally hand made from natural ingredients for many months.

The art of carpet weaving in Iran has its roots in the culture and customs of its people and their instinctive feelings. Weavers mix elegant patterns with a myriad of colors. The Persian rug is reminiscent of the Persian garden: full of flowers, birds and animals.

The colors are usually made from wild plants, and have rich colors like red, navy blue, and shades of ivory. The finished product is often just washed in the tea to soften its texture, giving it a unique quality. Depending on where the rug is woven patterns and designs vary. And some rugs, such as Gabbeh and Kilim present variations in their textures and the number of knots per square meter.

The exceptional skill of these craftsmen to weave carpets and textiles of silk has attracted the attention of people like Xuanzang, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and Jean Chardin.

In the words of Arthur Pope: "All over the world, Iranian carpets are the symbol of poetical luxury.

Painting and miniature

Mullahs in the royal presence. The style of painting is clearly Qajar.


The historian of the East Basil Gray believes "Iran has given the world a particularly unique art which is excellent in its own kind."

The caves in the province of Lorestan Iran have painted imagery of animals and hunting scenes. Other similar paintings in the province of Fars and Sialk are old at least 5 000 years.

It is generally believed that the painting in Iran has reached its peak in Iran at the time of Tamerlane, when teachers like Kamaleddin Behzad gave birth to a new style of painting.

The paintings of the time Qajar are a combination of European influences and schools of miniature time Safavid as those introduced by Reza Abbasi. Masters such as Kamal-ol-Molk then developed European influence in Iran. At the Qajar era that the "painting of coffee" has emerged in Iran. The subjects of this style were often religious in nature depicting scenes from the history of Shiism or others.

Pottery and Ceramics

Pottery, 4th millennium BC. Sialk collection of National Museum of Iran.

The archaeologist Roman Ghirshman believes that "the taste and talent of this people (Iranians) can be seen through the designs of their earthen wares".

In the thousands of archaeological sites and ruins that can be encountered in Iran, it has been found in almost all of them objects of clay of exceptional quality. Thousands of pieces were found at Sialk and Jiroft.

The craft of pottery ( "kuzeh gar") occupies a special place in the Persian literature.

Music


During the recorded history of the Iran, a separate music developed accompanied by numerous musical instruments, some of which were the first prototypes of modern musical instruments used today.

The oldest references to musicians in Iran are found in Susa and Elam in the 3rd millennium BC. BC bas-reliefs, sculptures and mosaics in ancient Bishapur show a sophisticated musical culture.

The Persian traditional music in its contemporary form has its roots in the era Naseri, who ordered the opening of a crafts house, where all master craftsmen would end up designing instruments and practicing their art. The Mugham of Azerbaijan is classified by Unesco as "Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity."

Literature

Iran is filled with tombs of poets and musicians, as this one belonging to Rahi Mo'ayeri. An illustration of the deep cultural heritage of Iran.


Persian literature is by far the highest expression of Iranian engineering. While there are interesting works in prose, it is poetry that shines most Iranian literature. It has been successful over a period of over a thousand years, and was esteemed and imitated well beyond the borders of its country of origin. Literature in Turkey and India developed under its influence.

Architecture


The architecture of Iran is an architecture with a tradition and an ancient heritage. As Arthur Pope put it, "the most significant impact of Persian architecture is very flexible. Not overwhelming but dignified, magnificent and impressive. "

Calligraphy


Persian calligraphy has different styles. Seen here is the style Shekasteh "a manuscript of the time Safavid.

The writer Will Durant said: "The ancient Iranians with an alphabet of 36 letters, used pencils and pens to write, instead of tablets utiliées at the time." Such was the creativity in the art of writing. The importance of the art of calligraphy works of pottery, metal objects and historic buildings is such that they feel a lack without calligraphy adorning decorative.

The illuminations, especially in the Quran and works such as Shahnameh, the Divan of Hafez, the Golestan, the Bustan and others are recognized as works of great value for their only calligraphy. Very many calligraphic works are preserved in museums and private collections worldwide, as the State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg and the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington among others.

Ceramic Tile

Carreau the young man, Kubatcha, seventeenth century.

Ceramic tiles are a unique feature of the blue mosques of Isfahan. Originally, Kashan (kash + an which literally means "land of tiles") and Tabriz were the two most famous centers of production of mosaics and tiles in Iran.

Cinema


With more than 300 international awards in the last 25 years, Iranian films have always recognized worldwide. The director best known is perhaps Abbas Kiarostami.

Grounds

The Iranian art has developed over the centuries specific reasons for decorating crafts produced in Iran. These patterns may have originated in the ancestral grounds of nomadic tribes (like the geometric patterns used in kilims or Gabbeh), a research thrust geometry under the influence of the Islam or inspired motifs such as the easternmost boteh , one can find in India or Pakistan.

Metalworks (Qalam-zani)

In detail

Khatam-kari


Detail of a rod made of Khatam.

Fine inlay work and careful whose earliest examples date from the era Safavid: Khatam was then so popular with the court that princes learned some technique as well as music and painting. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, katahm decline before being returned to fashion during the reign of Reza Shah, in which to create craft schools in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz. Khatam means "embedding" . Khatam-kari is "working inlays. This craft is to make patterns of inlaid works mostly in star shapes, using thin strips of wood (ebony, teak, jujube, orange, rose), brass (for golden parts), and camel bones (white parts). The ivory, gold and silver can also be used for collectibles. These rods are first assembled into bundles triangular themselves re-assembled and glued in bundles according to a strict order to form a cylinder about 70 cm, which shows the bracket base unit of the final design: a six-pointed star contained in a hexagon. These cylinders are then sliced into shorter cylinders, then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before undergoing a final cut slices carrying approximately 1mm thick. These are then ready to be plated and glued on the object to be decorated, before lacquer finishing. They may undergo a preheating to be softened, if the object is curved in order to marry the curves. The decorated objects are legion: boxes, play chess or backgammon, frames, pipes, office, or even musical instruments. The Khatam may also be associated with the famous Persian miniatures, thus creating genuine works of art.

Deriving techniques imported from China and magnified by Persian know-how, this craft existed for over 700 years and is still particularly alive in Isfahan and Shiraz.

Mo'arraq (Marquetry)

In detail
Bas-reliefs and sculptures

The remains of Qajar Tangeh Savashi were made by Fath Ali Shah.

Burning reliefs has a history that dates back thousands of years. The reliefs Elamites can always be found in Iran. Persepolis being the Mecca of creations ancient bas-reliefs in the country.

This work is so inspiring that artists Qajars, 2 300 years later, have their design used as basic models of their bas-reliefs as Tangeh Savashi.