Re-reading the artworks of Saqakhaneh painters from Shklovsky’s defamiliarization perspective (selected artworks of Oveysi, Qandriz and Tabrizi)

Saqakhaneh is one of the most significant artistic movements of the fortieth decade in Iran, which was formed with a traditionalist as well as modernist approach, proportionate to the time. The artists attributed to this movement, while respecting the ancient visual elements, created artworks that are dependent on the past, but at the same time different from it. What brings this group’s viewpoint somewhat closer to Shklovsky’s view of defamiliarization is the preference for the past. Shklovsky believes that everyday life is based upon the habit, and these habits make us be disrespectful of our surroundings. The need to change attitudes is also felt from this point, one of the approaches of which is defamiliarization. According to the mentioned points, the question is to what extent is Shklovsky’s theory of familiarization capable of being illustrated and expressed in the works of Saqakhaneh painters, and how did the influence of the artists of this movement on Iranian painting continue?

The present study aims to examine the thinking and ideas of Shklovsky and its adaptation to the approach of Saqakhaneh artists.

The historical-correlation method has been employed to achieve the desired results. The present data collection has been conducted by reading the image and viewing the works existing in the libraries and databases.

In this research, it was found that the artworks associated with the Saqakhaneh artistic movement can be considered within the framework of Shklovsky’s theory of defamiliarization. Although the Saqakhaneh school ceased with the end of this group’s working, then artist’s experiences had a lasting effect on the contemporary Iranian painting, and this thinking was pursued in various ways in the following decades.