A Study on the Characteristics of Environmental Activism in Iranian Painting in the 2010s

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 master of Painting, faculty of arts and Rchitecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Painting, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IRAN

10.22051/jjh.2024.47185.2170

Abstract

Prioritizing the social function of art is one of the most Important characteristics of contemporary art. In contemporary art, the concept of artist-activist is raised; An artist whose main goal is not aesthetic pleasure of the beholder but to improve human life. Following this attitude, the issue of the environment - which is one of the crises of contemporary human life - has attracted the attention of many artists and eco-critical art has appeared in various artistic media. Since Iranian artists also showed attention to this crisis along with the artists of other countries, the purpose of the current research is to explain the capabilities of Iranian s environmental painting in promoting public awareness of the environment, in order to promote a model for artistic activism. In other words, this article has tried to answer the following question: How can painting lead to environmental activism? The research method is descriptive-analytical and the method of data collecting is documentary. This research is based on a theoretical concept, which is the concept of "environmental painting". Therefore, determining the boundaries of this concept has an important role in defining the statistical population of the research. The research samples were selected from among the paintings of the 90s of Iran that were compatible with the above concept. Studying the samples showed that contemporary Iranian painters have considered both local and global environmental issues. In general, artists depict abstract concepts, foreseeable future, threats and destruction of the environment and other living things by humans, and make tangible concepts and events that humans are not normally able to see, visible. Artists by relying on visual realism and the use of metaphor, evokes the audience's emotional response and thus creates a kind of knowledge that is different from the knowledge obtained from scientific information and can lead to active responses.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Glory of Art (Jelve-y Honar) Alzahra Scientific Quarterly Journal

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 September 2024

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics