The Trend of Transformation in Islamic Iconography of Iran; from Transcendental to assimilation Approach

Religious iconography in Islamic Iran is one of the most important Shiite arts. The history of this art in Iran signifies it`s transcendental approach to depict sacred characters pure and consider them far from worldliness. This approach is apparent in original miniature works and then coffee house paintings. Following the dominance of empiricism (positivism) on the mind of the contemporary artist on one hand and cultural and artistic transactions between different societies on the other hand, the course of representationality and objectification of icons in Iranian contemporary art has increased. This paper, by applying descriptive- analytical method, reviews the history of iconography and its theoretical literature in the view of Shite artists and examines the current situation of this art in Iran. In this paper 33 artworks have been selected as samples of iconographic works from the past and contemporary miniature and painting, as well as some other unsigned works which represent the course of this art.