Correspondence of Visual Representation and Order in Decorative Art From Ernest Gombrich's Point of View: A Case Study on Muharramat Textile Design

Visual representation is a deep, multidimensional concept whose simplest form is considered equal to realization of perception. Order is another related concept which, being mostly accompanied by abstraction and repetition, is assumed to weaken representation of reality. In such situation, visual representation and order are in contrast such that as order prevails within an image, representation is weakened, ergo put to divergence and multiple other defects. However, as Ernest Gombrich, a most prominent thinker at psychology of visual perception, believes, visual representation is less close to realization and more related to the viewer’s perception of his/her special sensory and cultural conditions. This makes image both loyal to its own covenants and subject to different possible realizations. With this in mind, the present paper seeks to investigate the correspondence of representation and order within decorative art, particularly in Muharramat textile design. Employing an analytic methodology and based on documentary studies, it, indeed, seeks to explore Gombrich’s ideas, examine the correspondence of visual representation and order within decorative art, and apply it to Muharramat textile designs. With such a framework, it is concluded that not only increased abstraction- and modeling related order do not weaken representation, it also makes it more encompassing. As such, perception gets infinite and is mostly bestowed on the viewer. Here, with their repetitive striped patterns and by excluding any imposition of reality identification onto the viewer, Muharramat designs provide the chance for creation of perception and interpretation with higher degrees of flexibility and, through their element of repetition, make the influence much stronger.