Study of the Derivative Artworks of Farah Ossouli Based on Adorno`s Mimesis Theory

Mimesis is one of the most original terms in literary and art criticism. Plato called it imitation and believed that mimesis was manifested in 'particulars' which resemble or imitate the forms from which they are derived; thus, the mimetic world is inherently inferior in that it consists of imitations that will always be subordinate or subsidiary to their original. In contradiction to Plato Aristotle views mimesis and mediation as fundamental expressions of our human experience within the world - as means of learning about nature that, through the perceptual experience, allow us to get closer to the "real". In 17th and early 18th century conceptions of aesthetics, mimesis is bound to the imitation of (empirical and idealized) nature. In 20th century approaches to mimesis, authors such as Walter Benjamin, Adorno, Girard, and Derrida have defined mimetic activity as it relates to social practice and interpersonal relations rather than as just a rational process of making and producing models that emphasize the body, emotions, the senses, and temporality. Theodor Adorno (1903-1963), the German philosopher and sociologist from the Frankfurt school, believes that mimesis is not imitation, but a kind of simulation of the original pattern that mixes with it. By adapting the traditional meaning and the use of the term, Adorno aims to show the dynamics of mimesis. So, for him, mimesis also has features such as expressiveness and artistic creativity. The extension of this theory to the paintings of Farah Ossouli (1932-), the present Iranian painter, is the subject of this study. Most of her derivative artworks in Wounded Virtue paintings have quotes from contemporary Iranian poems by Ahmad Shamloo or Forough Farrokhzad even in compositions that reference famous images by Frida Kahlo, Francisco Goya, Pete. The figurative, decorative, and narrative style of Persian miniatures provided her with expressive potential and a rich tradition of refined beauty. Moreover, she found the impassive look of miniature figures suitable for her male and female protagonists engaged in universal themes. In Wounded Virtue, she selected famous artistic icons, because of some concept she liked, and then added her ideas and style of painting. She also made use of all three traditional characteristics of Persian miniatures — calligraphy, Tazhib (the decorative arts and book illuminations), and painting. In Wounded Virtue, however, they are infused with new features, such as contemporary Farsi poems, Tazhib designs with weapons, and new painted themes.This search with the goal of knowing more contemporary Persian painting is done in a descriptive-analytic method and seeks to answer the question: Do Farah Ossouli's artworks include in Adorno's definition of mimesis? According to Adorno's view of mimesis, in this study seven features and characteristics of mimesis - expression, simulation, the language of society, showing reality, artistic creativity, - were extracted, and based upon them, derivative paintings by Farah Ossouli were studied. The results show that these works of Farah Ossouli overlap with the mimesis theory of Adorno.