فصلنامه گلستان هنر
سال هفتم شماره 4 (پیاپی 24، زمستان 1401)

In the inscription of Xerxes (XPc) in Persepolis, Old Persian cuneiform is one of the cultural-artistic achievements of the Achaemenid period (550-330 BC), which was invented to write official imperial inscriptions in Old Persian. The written inscriptions in this script indicate the application of aesthetics and subtle artistic taste. In fact, the surviving inscriptions from the Achaemenid period highlight the knowledge and art used in them. In this short paper, the author tries to examine some calligraphic features in the inscription of Xerxes (XPc) in Persepolis and to show its aesthetic and calligraphic rules and principles.

Manichaean paintings, known as Manichaean art, are a part of the identity of Iranian art history. These paintings are the visual language of Manichaeism, or better to say, the visual representation of Manichaean doctrines, some of which have emerged in the vicinity of non-Manichaean concepts.The first group of these works of art was discovered in the early 20th century in the Turfan oasis – Xīnjiāng, in northwestern China – which, due to its proximity to Greater Iran, contained signs of the Sasanian art. However, the second group of Manichaean works of art, which appeared in the early 21st century, presented a completely altered appearance to scholars. This art was replete with Buddhist and Daoist elements and different from what we knew from Turfan’s works. This article gives a brief report of the number of Manichaean art pieces found in Turfan and the newly discovered silk paintings in Japan and America. It also points out some of the artistic features, the importance of different attitudes in the study of Manichaean art, and studies of Manichaean art in Iran.

Extensive research has been carried out till now on the Persian painting, but there are still some facts and matters to be reexamined and evaluated more beyond the common schools of art.There are some rare examples of paintings in this respect which are worth studying from different viewpoints. Created in different manners and styles, such artworks have their origins in the ideals and norms related to heroes and champions of Iran. Having originated from historical and epic beliefs and events, some of these paintings adopt a theatrical approach and are narrated by some special storytellers. Regarding distinct themes and styles, we can categorize such paintings under the “popular art”. This art is sometimes naïve and simplified and some other times severe in the form of protest art, and occasionally replete with hints and symbols. In this way, the artist moves towards popular life, drawing inspiration from it.In this article it’s been tried to studyand discover the influential factors of the formation of some unusual styles in different centuries after Islam.Furthermore, the cultural movements as well as epic, historical themes of the Shahnameh and the influence of East art would be evaluated to obtain the desired results.

Sar-e Qabr-e Āqā mausoleum was built in the 13th century AH/AD 19th century, simultaneous with the reign of Nāsser-ad-Din Shāh Qājār, in an old cemetery near the gate of Shāh-Abdolazim, Ray, as a burial place for Seyyed Abolqāsem Zahir-ol-Eslām, the Friday Imam (prayer leader) of Tehran. With four iwans, along with a double-covered high dome and other various and exquisite decorations in combination with a triangular pediment of the main iwan and the Corinthian capitals as well as other Western decorations adapted from European architecture during the Nāsser-ad-Din Shāh’s reign, the mausoleum is considered a unique example of this style of architecture, i.e. religious and monumental. It should be noted that the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, Paris (1914), which seems to have been much seen and admired with a good reputation in Tehran, has affected the form and construction of this dome. Being in the form of a rectangular cube along its east-west longitude, the mausoleum is located on a platform approximately one meter above the level of the adjacent area.   The present research has been carried out with the aim of studying architectural features and decorations of the Sar-e Qabr-e Āqā mausoleum. In this writing, with a descriptive-analytical methodology and by relying on historical documents and registration files of ICHHTO, together with field studies and documentation of the mausoleum through map preparation and photography, the architecture and decorations of the tomb were introduced, and by library studies based on the interpretive-historical method, the history of the mausoleum and the historical reasons for the influence of Western architectural elements on the architecture of Sar-e Qabr-e Āqā mausoleum have been examined.   The plan, structure, and decorations of the building resemble those of the mausoleums of Tehran's shrines during the Qajar period, such as the Hazrat-e Abdolazim Shrine. The Sar-e Qabr-e Āqā mausoleum with its wide entrance iwan along with the triangular pediment, exquisite mirror-work inside the dome house, stuccowork, tiles, and exquisite wooden shrine of the tomb, has been inspired by the Imāmzādeh mausoleums (shrines of Imams’ descendants) of the Qajar period. This place has the only triangular pediment above the entrance iwan in a Qajar religious building in Tehran. Most religious structures such as the tomb of Shah Abdolazim in Ray and Imāmzādeh Sāleh in Tajrish had a pediment in their entrance iwans, but throughout history, many of these triangular pediments have transformed into circular or flat patterns. The Sar-e Qabr-e Āqā mausoleum could be considered as the only Qajar tomb remained with a triangular pediment.Considering the style of architecture in Sar-e Qabr-e Āqā mausoleum and that of the shrines of Tehran during the Qajar period, the results show that the architecture and exquisite decorations of the tomb as well as the use of European architectural elements in combination with Iranian tomb architecture in here were to strengthen the spiritual and the powerful status of Tehran's Friday Imam and his family, and on the other hand, is a manifestation of modernity in the architecture of Iran in this period, i.e. the 13th century AH/ AD 19th century.

In the historical periods of Islamic Iran, particularly from the 4th century AH/ AD 10th century onward, many historical texts have been written the necessity of a careful reassessment and analysis of which is felt for extracting and recording details of art history of Iran. Despite making amendments to and publication of a number of such historical texts, there are still many ones not been amended nor published yet, nor even been referred to by researchers properly. Tārīkh Wassāf is a good, classic example of such texts in which its writer deals with biographies and works of artists as well as artistic matters, besides recounting historical events. Safī al-Dīn Irmuwī is among the artists mentioned in this book. The present essay aims to study the life and works of this distinguished artist from the perspective of the accounts of Tārīkh Wassāf. Irmuvī is mentioned here as an accomplished artist in music in four narrations, however not been referred to as a talented calligrapher.

The theoretical principles of calligraphy are the studies in the field of nature and philosophy of calligraphy, its aesthetics, stylistic analysis and the historical foundations. Over the past fifty years, such theoretical bases have been largely neglected. Most studies in the mentioned period of time have actually followed the tradition of historiography and writing biography, and not been directed towards phenomenological and analytical approaches. The essential difference in the field of calligraphy research in the first and second half of the present century (14th SH) lies in their inclinations towards the nature and philosophy of calligraphy, its aesthetic and stylistic analysis, as well as the historical foundations. However, there is limited, incomplete understanding of theoretical and aesthetic concepts in this regard. As a result, proposing an explanation for the theoretical principles of calligraphy seems necessary.

The recently-founded industry of cinema in Iran during Pahlavi era was one of the most important modern cultural manifestations. Cinema has also had optimum economic efficiency and this matter caused public film saloons to be established and developed in major cities of Iran, including Shiraz. Accordingly, in this paper records of the establishment and historical evolution of Shiraz cinemas, besides general particulars and methods of their activities during Pahlavi era have been studied through valuable documents.Findings of this research show that during 1929-69, at least thirteen independent cinemas were established in Shiraz, and their main growth was in the last two decades. Pars, Tāj, Rex, Irān, Metro, Donyā, Shirāz Cinema-Theatre, Sa’di, Pāsārgād, Persepolis, Cāpri, Paramount and Āriānā were some of these cinemas. It should be noted that some of these names have changed due to different factors such as change in ownership, renovation, or reestablishment for several times.The majority of cinemas in the aforementioned era were constructed by two or more commercial partners. In some cases this subject has caused disagreement and discrepancy between the mangers and theaters owners; even some of them owned several cinemas at the same time. Trading of the cinema establishment license was also prevalent. By changing the ownership of theaters, the names of them were changed as well. The procedure of changing the name was also often true in case where cinemas were reconstructed. It seems that this procedure was a trick to achieve a business boom.Most of the cinemas in Shiraz were constructed along the Zand Boulevard. This new place was considered a home to most important commercial institutions as well. After a while, three cinemas were established in Qasr-e Dasht Street (located in the west region of Shiraz) which was the outcome of social and economic development of the city in that region. Almost all cinema owners were among businessmen and this shows the economic hegemony of cinema industry in the Pahlavi era. Nevertheless, establishing new cinemas and growth in the quality of cinema projectors and the interior space gradually provided the essential infrastructures to hold international film festivals in Shiraz. Shiraz Arts Festival was a turning point in this regard which gathered various audiences in cinemas.