A Reflection on the Visual Components of Five Works of Flowers and Birds by Professor Haj Mirza Agha Emami

During the Qajar period, the art of book design and painting declined, and methods such as oil, enamel, and lacquer paintings became popular in this era. Paintings with the theme of flowers and birds are among the arts that were growing in this era. The first mentality that emerges after hearing this topic of flowers and birds is the presence of two visual elements of flowers and birds in nature. Artists of different ages have used these two visual elements in different ways and created valuable works. Among the prominent artists of this area in the Qajar era, we can mention Mirza Agha Amami. Mirza Agha Emami has created lasting works in different fields of art such as flowers and birds, gilding, poetry, fuel cover, carpet design, pencil painting, and wooden door decorations. This research tries to introduce five of his works of flowers, to compare the forms of flowers and birds and the visual structure in the visual elements of the selected works, and to investigate the visual components of the studied works. The method of this research has been done in a descriptive-analytical and qualitative manner, and data collection is based on library information. Therefore, this research seeks to answer two basic questions: What similarities and differences do flowers and birds have with visual elements in nature in five selected works? The research results showed that the flowers of Mirza Agha Emami are more inclined to the naturalistic style, and they are similar to natural elements. He has used flowers such as cherry blossoms, primroses, marigolds, dahlias, and jasmine. Pigeons, lunar birds, and partridges can also be seen in his works. Mirza Agha Emami's works of flowers and birds are significantly concentrated regarding composition structure, form, and color, and birds or flowers also have a triangular composition. Balance, lack of dullness, harmony, decisiveness, integrity, variety, and repetition are the visual components of this painting.