نشریه مطالعات تطبیقی هنر
پیاپی 8 (پاییز و ز مستان 1393)

This study has been done regarding the relative scientific-research vacuum about identifying and investigating the used symbols on the potteries of ancient and historical regions of Persian civilization and in order to find the answer for the following question: what are the similarities between the symbols used in the potteries of different regions in a historical period with regard to their drawing and the meaning behind their application in the containers. This study aims to explore visually and conceptually the human and animal symbols which are present in the discovered potteries in three regions of Fars’ Tal Bakun, Kashan’s Sialk hills and Nahavand’s Gian hills with a comparative approach. This research uses descriptive-analytical method and its data has been gathered via field and library studies. The result of this study is analytical representation of points of similarity and difference in the common symbols of these three regions which show that, considering the drawing style, the symbols on the potteries of Tal Bakun are very complex, variegated and masterly whereas the symbols on the potteries of Sialk hills are close to nature. Also, the symbols on the potteries of Gian hills are between the symbols of Sialk and Bakun and, with regard to meaning, most symbols are rooted in the culture and civilization of Persian people. Generally speaking, the symbols used on the potteries of the three regions, in spite of their geographical distance, have many similarities regarding the style of drawing and their meaning.

The aim of this paper is to reveal the similarities and differences in the visual structure of African ‘masks’ and those of the Belgian artist, James Ensor. Attempts have been made to, on the one hand, examine masks which have been used in different fields of art such as sculpture, reliefs, and African symbolic paintings and, on the other, those masks that have been employed in the artworks of James Ensor (like painting, gravure, and statuesque masks). Undoubtedly, despite having brief similarities, the origins of these masks are quite different due to temporal, spatial, ethnic, cultural differences and social perspectives as well as doctrinal, ritual and religious approaches. Therefore, to discern the meaning of these works, we shall first provide an answer for the main question of this research: Does Ensor’s application of masks in his works stem from the very attitude that is present in the African masks or does it originate from cultural background, ideological, religious and social inclinations with an eye on the ancient myths, grotesque, maskaron, masquerade, carnival etc? The findings of the research show that although African masks date back to the early stages of human civilization and are influenced by the culture, race, and tribal beliefs, James Ensor’s works belong to the western and European background; Belgium of the late 19th and early 20th century. This paper is a library research and, employing a descriptive-analytical and comparative method, will disclose the sharp and inevitable differences between these two sets of masks.

The relationship between various arts of a country and their influence on each other can be a valuable subject for researchers’ investigations. Produced potteries in the Kalporegan village, located at the Saravan city, and needleworks of different regions of Sistan and Balochestan are decorated today with designs which enjoy a geometric and unique structure by emphasizing the past originality of the art of this land. These designs which are drawn by women in the two mentioned arts are an inseparable part of Baloch art. Accordingly, aiming to study the relationship between pottery designs of Kalporegan and Baloch needlework which enjoy a common cultural context, this article considers the probable points of similarity and difference between the two arts. How to make connection between the designs of Kalporegan potteries and Baloch needlework is the major question of this study. What domains are comprised by such relationship? Using historical as well as descriptive-analytic method, this research investigates comparatively the designs of the two arts of Baloch people. The information collection was done via library method, field observations and interview with senior artists. The results of this investigation show that common aspects between the designs of these arts is due to both arts’ taking inspiration from nature as well as Baloch people’s beliefs and culture. Amongst the point of similarity between the two arts are geometric designs with symbolic and abstract expression derived from nature and Baloch beliefs, simple and combined designs, similar structure in nomenclature and designs’ selection based on Balochestan natural phenomena. Also, the study of Kalporegan pottery designs and Baloch needlework specifies presence of common visual elements such as repetition, rhythm, motion, order and symmetrical combinations that will foreground the relationship between the designs of these two arts in the form of geometric figures and similar structures. Due to diversity and variety of needlework designs, through grouping the designs into simple and combined, the researchers selected the more used designs of needlework at different areas of Sistan and Balochestan and refrained from investigating similar designs.

Since early twentieth century, semiotics, as an approach for text criticism, has prepared the ground for investigating the procedure of producing and perceiving meaning. Code is among the basic concepts of semiotics. The addressee’s knowledge of the codes of a sign system makes it possible to understand its meaning. The 10-item classification of pictorial codes made by Umberto Eco is one of the most effective approaches for making an analysis of a pictorial text and different aspects of a picture even in relation to texts associated with other sign systems. Iranian miniature is mostly of illustrative use in relation to Persian literature. For instance, Nezami Ganjavi’s Haft Peykar has been illustrated a lot due to its narrative quality and romantic subject. In this paper, the research methodology is descriptive-analytical and the resources have been collected via library. The miniature of “Bahram-e-Gour dar Gonbad-e Sepid” extracted from the Khamseh version of Metropolitan Museum has been the subject of study using Eco’s model for classifying the codes. The questions of this study are as following:- To what extent has this miniature been successful in communicating the content of the literary text through a picture?- How does this miniature transfer the concepts from lingual sign system to a pictorial one?- To what extent is the miniaturist influenced by the description of the text? If not influenced, why?This miniature conveys the symbolic content of the story in a very precise manner despite the limitations of pictorial medium and the newly-emerged realism in the miniature of that time has not been an encumbrance in this regard. The symbolic message of the literary text has been portrayed in the miniature using formal components and some literary metaphors. In some cases, some details not included in the description of the text have been created.

Looking at the dawn of human figurines in the Fertile Crescent which comprises Western Iran, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Levant, this article aims to explore the reasons of their making and their meanings comparatively. This may help scholars to compare the artifacts following their construction timeline. The historical span of investigated museum artifacts in this case study is from the end of Epipaleolithic and the beginning of Proto Neolithic to the end of Neolithic. This article pursues the following four 1) investigating the theories and ideas of scholars about the function of Neolithic human figurines, 2) studying and separating spatially and temporally the Neolithic sites of Fertile Crescent in which such figurines have been made, 3) preparing the map of Neolithic human figurines of Fertile Crescent, 4) searching the reasons for making human figurines in the changes of the economic context of the area. The data of this study has been gathered via library and museum survey. The method of this study is comparative examination of the figurines’ structure and analytical investigation of their relation with each other. Regarding purpose and methodology, this research is respectively a foundational and historical research. The most important result of this study is the absolute dominance of feminine figurines over the masculine ones regarding number and variety. On the other hand, the western side of this region has started the making of such artifacts almost one millennium earlier than the eastern side and, exactly with the very temporal distance, it has commenced agriculture whereas the beginning of animal husbandry was in the eastern side. On the basis of archaeological evidence it can be said that the procedure of making human figurines is closely coordinated with the beginning of agriculture and inclining toward farming- based economy.

The welfare and safety of caravans have always been of great importance throughout the Persian history and this fact has led to the foundation of the buildings called caravanserai and its related elements. These buildings resolved communication and economic needs. Caravanserais can be divided into two kinds: city and intercity. Flourishing of Iran’s caravanserais in the Safavid era was due to the security, development of relationships with Europe and India by land or sea as well as development of foreign and domestic trade. In this period, prosperity in production and commerce, especially in Isfahan (capital of the Safavids), led to the establishment of urban caravanserais as a coherent element in the structure of the urban bazaar (market). Accordingly, the structure of bazaars and caravanserais was closely linked to each other and created variations in the caravanserais’ structure. Although, in time, caravanserais lost their primary role in relation to the bazaar’s needs and services, studies about these caravanserais are important. The present research seeks to answer the question of what changes have occurred in the Safavid caravanserais of Isfahan bazaar. This study has been executed using library and field studies and comparative method. The main purpose is to provide a typology of the Isfahan bazaar’s caravanserais in the Safavid era to respond to personal and social needs of traders and caravans, in addition to extracting common patterns in these caravanserais according to their residential and commercial functions. Recognizing these patterns can help designing commercial spaces proportionate with modern needs of the bazaar. These caravanserais, according to their construction period, are divided into three kinds: early, middle and late. Despite similarities in most types of Safavid caravanserais in Isfahan bazaar, some differences are seen as well in these buildings considering their structural relation to bazaar and its urban elements, caravanserai’s spatial composition, expanse, external form and type of entrances, courts, ivans (porches), ivanches (small porches) and ravaghs (porticoes), rooms and also caravanserai’s spatial diversity.

This research aims to provide a comparative study of art in two major religious trends in the East, i.e. Futuwwat, grown out of Sufism, and Zen, arising from Buddhism. The main question is how much Zen Buddhism and Futuwwat are similar in the area of art. In order to answer this question, the authors have used analytical-comparative method to organize this study.This article intends to pay attention to a different and very essential approach to art. The results of this study show that these two sects have significant similarity in the area of art, although some differences are also observable. Generally speaking, it could be claimed that in the East it is always emphasized that art is an inner virtue and one does not achieve it unless he/she has embodied purification and contemplation. In this approach, knowing the form and content does not make the artist but it is the inner illumination which shapes the heart of truth.

Looking at the literature of Iran’s contemporary architecture, one can observe dissatisfaction with the existing situation in addition to acknowledging lack of identity in the contemporary architecture of Iran. Some scholars believe that the reason for the problem is alienation of architecture and people, and express concerns about the lack of mutual understanding on both sides. Others consider the similarity between different cities of the country as the symptom of a common illness. Nowadays, having a common identity-based architecture is a matter of national concern for the Iranian architecture society. However, almost no theory is available to provide answer for questions such as what is identity, which elements and conditions are involved in its formation and what is the relationship between identity and architecture.Using comparative method, this study reviews the literature on identity and the procedure of its formation in a culture. Then, the analytical method is applied and four levels of culture –from subjective and abstract levels to objective and concrete ones- are distinguished. These levels are named paradigm, tradition, pattern, and cultural achievements. Furthermore, the role of architectural patterns is accentuated as a means of creating identity. Finally, the relation between architecture and the aforementioned levels as well as the role which can be played by them or is expected from them is discussed.

Imam Reza’s Shabih Namehs (the text of Ta’ziyeh) belong to the second period of passion plays writing and after that; a period in which the writers of these texts distanced from the main events of Ashura and martyrdom of Imam Ali and started writing about the other Innocents in Islam. This period began almost during the reign of Fathali Shah Qajar Being the unique integrated national/religious art of Iran, Ta’ziyeh was originally a popular art welcomed by all social classes. Therefore, different narratives of one story appeared in different regions whose confrontation not only leads to recognition of creativity within the definite framework of narrative but also can make the reader familiar with attitudes and beliefs of a broad range of Iranians. This research is mainly based on the following questions: with regard to writers’ using of Shiite history narratives, how are the narratives in namesake Ta’ziyehs which deal with the same subject? Have these writers been under the influence of past narratives so much that they did not have capacity or possibility for innovation?The data of this study has been gathered via library method and has been analyzed by descriptive-inferential method.After investigating the writing period of Imam Reza martyrdom’s Ta’ziyehs, this study explores the confrontation of two different Ta’ziyehs in order to find their similarities and dissimilarities. Through an intertextual reading, and while studying various techniques used by writers for providing the proper dramatic description of a given historical event, we become familiar with differences in local people’s attitude and understanding of such event.The evaluation of namesake Ta’ziyehs shows that the writers do not seek repeating the past methods and have tried to try new ways regarding the narrative, audience and society of each period.

Creation myths reflect human’s belief in the creation of the world, human beings and their end whose manifestation can also be seen in the belief of Zarvan cult in Iran. Since the idea of world creation has manifestations among all nations, it seems that Creation myth in Iranian and Australian cultures has various common points. To investigate this hypothesis, the Creation myth is studied comparatively-descriptively in the two cultures and its symbols are also explored in order to find their similarities and differences. The clearest similarity between the two cultures is that both of them believe in a superior force which is called Zarvan in Iran and “Wagilag Sisters” among Australian aborigines. Another common feature of these cultures is that Zarvan created Ahuramazda and Ahriman in eternal time, and “Wagilag Sisters” created the world and creatures in “Dream Time” which is a manifestation of eternal time. In Zarvan cult, there are some indications of Ahuramazda and Ahriman as good and evil forces whose manifestations can be found in Lorestan metals, and snake as the force of Ahriman. Symbols like “snake” and “sacred water hole” are considered in the myth of “Wagilag Sisters” which are seen in rock engravings and bark paintings. In addition, snake, rainbow snake, is an ancestral being that lives in the heaven and underground in the sacred water hole. Zarvan gave the power of creation of the world and its creatures to Ahuramazda through Barsam. In turn, Ahuramazda creates the world by “Good Vayo” and “Wagilag Sisters” by sacred “digging sticks” or “stone spears. In these two myths, in addition to creating the world birth is also emphasized.