Naturalism And The Iranian Carpet Aesthetics

The arts are born out of the artist’s mind within the milieu of the culture of the period and the social environment. The craft of carpet weaving is no exception, as it is influenced by intellectual and cultural trends. Certain arts such as the art of the carpet have a very long life and have gone through the ages, while they are still alive. Such arts have obviously been influenced by various approaches and beliefs of each period, or have collaborated with various cultures due to the prevailing conditions. Symbolism is an integral part of Oriental art, and Iranian art and the art of the carpet, but at times we come across naturalism also. Therefore, the influence of naturalism on the art of the carpet is worthy of study. In this study using the library research method the hypothesis that “a kind of naturalism has been influential on the art of the carpet” has been tested. This study of the art of the carpet of the Islamic period has analyzed the available texts and pictures of carpet motifs and has confirmed the above hypothesis. The trend of naturalism in the Iranian carpet of the Islamic period has developed through the art of the royal courts since the Safavid period. It continued its development on the basis of Islamic ethics and culture through the Qajar period. However, since the Pahlavi era Western naturalism has influenced the art of the carpet also. In recent years, due to acceptance of Western culture as a result of the open door policies of the second decade since the revolution, as well as the propaganda programs of Western culture targeting Eastern countries, manifestations of Western naturalism in various arts including the carpet has increased.