ARTS-BRITAIN: Persian Paintings Knock Down Demons

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Beverly Andrews

LONDON, Sep 7 1999 (IPS) - The Persian empire’s cultural importance has often been overlooked by the west. Since the Shah’s overthrow in 1979 and the advent of the country’s current Islamic government all things Iranian have often been demonised in the western media.

But recently relations have started to thaw and Iranian art has once again taken its rightful place on the world stage. Only this year an Iranian film titled ‘Children of Heaven’ was for the first time nominated for an Oscar and the astonishing first feature titled ‘The Apple’ has enraptured film festival audiences throughout the world.

London’s Brunei gallery along with The Iran Heritage Foundation have mounted one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of Iranian art to be presented anywhere in the world titled the Royal Persian Paintings, the Qajar Epoch. The exhibit, which continues until October, looks at one of the most significant artistic periods in Iranian history.

In many Islamic countries there can be a tension between the structures of Islam and the freedom which artists need in order to create. The tribal family of the Qajar’s, who unified and ruled Iran from 1785-1925, managed to establish a unique bridge between tradition and the modern world.

Under these forward thinking leaders artists flourished and produced worked of startling originality. The Persian empire under the Qajar’s became a Mecca for artists throughout the Islamic world.

The figures who dominate the exhibition are perhaps not surprisingly those of the Qajar men, the country’s rulers. Looking at the portraits in chronological order one is struck by the gradual change in dress, away from the tribal robes and beards toward the sophisticated dark suits fashionable during the period.

One of the most interesting footnotes of this creeping westernisation, which would be followed by the Shah, is the Qajars determination to adhere to Iranian religious values. Up to 1850 in each painting the central figure is seen wearing a portrait miniature of his predecessors but after 1850 the portrait becomes that of the Prophet Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed and founder of the Shia movement.

The Qajar rulers make clear that although they were prepared to embrace some aspects of western culture they were not prepared to compromise the religious values of the country.

Another startling aspect of this period was the use of figurative art, a practice which is not usually found in Islamic art.

“I think the use of representational art had a lot to do with the Qajar’s desire to establish themselves as absolute rulers in the region. It was felt that by documenting their lives and the lives of their families that these paintings would reinforce their position within Iranian society as its ruling family,” Brunei’s director John Wollingworth says.

Their paintings also serve as a valuable record for historians eager to catch a glimpse of a civilisation so often shrouded in mystery and historical inaccuracy. One of the most interesting aspects demonstrated by the exhibition is the sheer playfulness of the court.

Female acrobats tumble, while strolling musicians play. Concubines laugh as wives mischievously lift their veils. Women play a key role in the exhibition as they obviously did in the Qajar court The Qajar rise to power was quite rapid. Within five years of his release from prison, the tribal leader Aga Muhammad Khan Qajar had overthrown the Zand dynasty and established the Qajar as leaders of the country.

During the Qajars’ long reign they established the country, centralising bureaucracy, expanding the then standing army as well as instituting an ambitious building program which turned Tehran into one of the most beautiful cities of the region.

But perhaps the Qajars’ greatest achievement was their patronage of the arts. Fatih Ali Shah was famous for his encouragement of Iranian poetry, painting and even reviving the ancient tradition of rock-relief sculpture which had not been practised for over a thousand years.

Many art historians consider the Qajar period to be one of the most significant in the Islamic world

The exhibitions contains over a hundred paintings, manuscripts and Korans from this wonderful period. With several portraits coming from the British royal family’s private collection.

Much of the work on on display does not necessarily show an innovative technique but rather a painstaking attention to detail. Like a tiny family journal which includes instead of family photographs tiny beautifully crafted paintings alongside intricate calligraphy describing details of their daily lives.

“I feel this exhibition is a feast for the eyes. It has been one of our most popular exhibits we have ever hosted at the gallery with a surprising number of children attending who I think love the vivid colours you see in the paintings,” Wollingworth says.

By 1925 the rule of the Qajar’s came to an abrupt end with the assassination of its last remaining leader Muzaffa al-Din Shah. Their demise ushered in Iran’s last royal family, that of the Shah, supported by the powerful oil corporations.

The Royal Persian Paintings documents a special period in Iranian history when the country was first united and lead by a royal family who encouraged artistic achievement.

It is a welcome antidote to the often negative headlines published in the west and a chance to glimpse Iran’s rich and vital cultural legacy.