persian
arts
persian arts, or Iranian arts is one of the richest
art heritages in world history and encompasses many disciplines
including architecture,
painting, weaving,
pottery, calligraphy,
metalworking and
stonemasonry.
The art of carpet weaving in 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 Iranian carpet is similar to the
Persian garden: full of florae,
birds, and beasts.
The colors are usually made from wild flowers, and are rich in
colors such as burgundy, navy blue, and accents of ivory. The proto-fabric is
often washed in
tea to soften the texture, giving it
a unique quality. Depending on where the rug is made, patterns and designs vary.
And some rugs, such as Gabbeh, and
Gelim have a variations in their textures and number of knots as well.
Painting and
miniature
Oriental historian
Basil Gray believes " has offered a particularly
unique [sic] art to the world which is excellent in its kind".
Caves in Iran's
Lorestan province exhibit painted
imagery of animals and hunting scenes. Some such as those in
Fars Province and
Sialk are at least 5,000 years old.
Painting in Iran is thought to have reached a climax during the
Tamerlane era when outstanding
masters such as KamaleddinBehzad gave birth to a new style of painting.
Paintings of the
Qajarperiod, are a combination of European influences and
Safavid miniature schools of painting such as those
introduced by Reza Abbasi.
Masters such as Kamal-ol-molk, further pushed forward the European influence in Iran. It was
during the Qajar era when "Coffee House painting" emerged. Subjects of this
style were often religious in nature depicting scenes from
Shia epics and the like.
Pottery and ceramics
Of the
thousands of archeological sites and historic ruins of Iran, almost every single
one can be found to have been filled, at some point, with earthenware of
exceptional quality. Thousands of unique vessels alone were found in
Sialk and Jiroft
sites.
Music
The earliest references to musicians in Iran are found in
Susa and Elam in the 3rd
millennium BC. Reliefs, sculptures, and mosaics such as those in
Bishapur from periods of antiquity
depict a vibrant musical culture.
Persian music in its contemporary form
has its inception in the
Naseri era, who ordered the opening
of a "House of Crafts," where all master craftsmen would gather for designing
instruments and practicing their art.
Literature
Iran is filled with tombs of poets and musicians, such as this
one belonging to RahiMo'ayeri. An illustration of Iran's deep artistic heritage.
Persian literature is by far the most stalwart expression of the
Iranian genius. While there are interesting works in prose, it is poetry where
the Iranian literature shines at its most. Flourishing over a period of more
than a millennium, it was esteemed and imitated well beyond the confines of the
Iranian homeland. The literature of
Turkey and
India developed under its influence.
Some notable Iranian poets are:
Ferdowsi,
Khayyam,
Hafiz,
Attar, Sa'di,
Nizami,
Sanai,
Rudaki,
Rumi,
Jami, and
Shahriar
Architecture
The
architecture of Iran is one with an exceedingly ancient Persian tradition and
heritage. As Arthur Pope put it,
"the meaningful Impact of Persian architecture is versatile. Not overwhelming
but dignified, magnificent and impressive".
Persian Gardens
The tradition and style in the
garden design of
Persian gardens (Persian
باغ ایرانی) has influenced the
design of gardens from Andalusia to
India and beyond. The gardens of the
Alhambra show the influence of Persian
Paradise garden philosophy and style in a
Moorish Palace scale from the era of
Al-Andalus in
Spain. The TajMahal is one of the
largest Persian Garden interpretations in the world, from the era of the
Mughal Empire in India.
Calligraphy
Says writer
Will Durant: "Ancient Iranians with an alphabet of 36 letters,
used skins and pen to write, Instead of ear-then tablets". Such was the
creativity spent on the art of writing. The significance of the art of
calligraphy in works of pottery, metallic vessels, and historic buildings is
such that they are deemed lacking without the adorning decorative calligraphy.
Vast quantities of these are scattered and preserved in museums and
private collections worldwide, such as the
Hermitage Museum of
St. Petersburg and Washington's
Freer Gallery of Art
among many others. Styles:
·
Shekasteh
·
Nasta'liq
·
Naskh
·
Mohaqqaq
·
Tilework
The tilework is a unique feature of the blue mosques of . In the old days,
Kashan
(kash + an which literally means "land of tiles") and
Tabriz
were the two famous centers of Iranian mosaic and tile industry
Cinema
With 300 international awards in the past 25 years, films from Iran
continue to be celebrated worldwide. Few of the best known directors are
Abbas Kiarostami,
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and
MajidMajidi.
Persian Work
Since centuries, Iranian art has developed particular
patterns designed to decorate Iranian
produced
craft. These motifs can be :
·
Inspired by ancestral nomad tribes (such
as geometrical motifs used in
kilims or
gabbehs).
·
Islam influenced,
with an advanced geometrical research.
·
Oriental based, also found in
India or Pakistan