Continuation of the Use of the Cloud-Making Tradition in Bita Vakili's Paintings

Document Type : Original Article

Author

PhD Student of Islamic Arts, Faculty of Islamic Crafts, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
Iranian painting, which (until the Safavid Era) was expressive in the field of art and was related to literature, mysticism and other mediums faced a challenge with modern painting which was emphasizing on concepts such as pure painting, independence of painting, painting's self-sufficiency, originality and aesthetic quality, valuing of art and used to introduce the modernism as the keeper of aesthetic qualities in painting . As Dariush Shaygan rejected any attempt to integrate ancient art with modern styles, Graber, however, believed that Iranian painting, along with many other traditions, depicted the main features of the nineteenth century: the necessity of modernity and the impossibility of returning to the past. After the arrival of modern developments in painting in Iran, several generations of Iranian artists showed different reactions to it. Others acknowledge the authenticity of Western modern art, but consider modern Iranian art to lack a proper understanding of modern art. Like Pakbaz who believes that a comprehensive achievement in contemporary Iranian art has not been achieved for two reasons. One is unbalanced patterns and another is the lack of institutionalization of modern art in society. Others chose the middle way. In search of the similarities and differences between modern art and Iranian art, they stated that, in both abstract art and traditional abstract art, the artist transcends the boundaries of form and form. Therefore, the two have something in common in the position of avoiding naturalism. However, one of them is a carnal experience, and the other is a spiritual experience. so, the way is this: rediscover the Iranian visual traditions, which are based on inspiration, and re-use traditional patterns and shapes. Many Iranian painters, in search of combining the principles of modern painting with the principles of traditional art, made many trials and errors. Among these painters is Bita Vakili. She is a well-known painter in the field of contemporary Iranian art. The works of Bita Vakili of the fourth period created from the divisions of contemporary painting, from the perspective of Pakbaz and belong to this period. According to Pakbaz, the demand for art, especially women, increased during this period. And the marginal biology in eclectic painting in the previous period found a suitable ground for manifestation. And other forms of decorative painting with Iranian and Oriental faces also appeared. Now, about thirty-eight years after the fourth period of contemporary Iranian painting, it can be seen that again sparks, from the conscious or unconscious approach of Iranian painters, to pictorial traditions. This attention to the Iranian visual tradition is an honorable achievement and a purposeful effort to negate consumerism in the humanities and arts. The aim of the present study is to examine the works of Bita Vakili from the perspective of the approach to the Iranian visual tradition and to examine the continuous work of this painter in reviving and using cloud-making in the contemporary period. Most of the different artistic periods of Bita Vakili's works can be studied in the field of modernist painting due to their abstract nature. But in recent times, in addition to abstraction, we see the presence of figures, representing places like the map of Iran, in her works. This longitudinal trend in method change is, on the one hand, contrary to the direction of the history of modern Western painting (ie, from the Fauvist representation to the negation of any external view in post-painting abstraction). On the other hand, it is in line with postmodern art, which denies the self-sufficiency, purity, style, quality and inner look of the medium of art; and in a way it deals with the objective representation of the simultaneous representation of the object of art and its image. Now the question is, how did the principles of cloud-making emerge in the works of Bita Vakili, who follow the criteria of Greenberg purity? This research has been done using descriptive-analytical method and using library, internet and archival sources. Bita Vakili is a painter born in 1973. She has a master's degree in painting from Tehran University of Arts. Her name announced as the most expensive female artist in the Middle East in 2011 at Christie's 12th auction in Dubai. She has participated in more than forty solo and group exhibitions in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Armenia, France and other countries. What has been studied in this research is the different collections of her works of art that have been classified in the first and second periods based on the cloud-making functions in her painting.
In the book "Qanoon al Sowar (law of images)", Sadeghi Beyk has stated seven decorative principles of Iranian painting in the form of poetry: "Eslimi", "Khatai", "Cloud", "Waq", "Niloufar", "Frangi" and "Romi Band". After the arrival of Chinese works in Iran with different designs, Iranian artists, with the changes they made in these roles, invented the "cloud principle". These innovations continued throughout the history of Iran, to the point that the innovative transformations of Iranian artists gave this theme a variety of evolutions. One form of evolution was that the cloud motif indicated the shape of the cloud itself. This shape was used to show the cloudy sky. As an example, we can mention the painting "Ascension of the Prophet" by Sultan Mohammad Tabrizi. The shape of the cloud motif, from the fourth century AH onwards, changed into the role of the dragon as well as the Simorgh. Another form of evolution of this motif, can be seen in the motifs of mythical animals. Beautiful examples of these designs, created by Mohammad Siah Ghalam. In the seventh and eighth centuries AH, this motif, in the form of a halo around the heads of the prophets and saints, evolved in the Ascension Letters. "Batarmeh" was another type of evolution. During the Safavid period, with the beginning of the Isfahan school, the pen of the cloud underwent a transformation. Cloud-making in painting came into being before cloud-making in paper-making. In the book "Rules of Lines", the invention of paper color painting is attributed to Khajeh Abdullah, a calligrapher at the great court. Bita Vakili is also one of the most successful artists which has achieved great success in both domestic and foreign exhibitions and auctions. Both periods of Bita Vakili's works were created based on a complete understanding of the characteristics of modern art. In these two periods of her works, we see the continuation of cloud computing in a different way. In the first period, in her works, she has exhibited a form of cloud pattern that represents marble patterns or abstract patterns that were used in cloud paper as a background for calligraphy or letters and book margins.
Secondly, she gave this role an independent identity, taking them out of the decorative form of the texts and using them as the main form (background). She then used cloud-making, along with industrial materials, collaged on cloud motifs, as representations of satellite imagery and geographical maps. The revival and different function of cloud-making, in the first period of this artist's paintings, has been done based on a change in the method of production, a change in materials, and a change in the importance of the role of the cloud theme. Also in the second period, in addition to these, by replacing the visual metaphor of metal materials, instead of the visual element of words (calligraphy), as the main element of expression, another form of revival of this tradition has been done.
 
 

Keywords

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URL(s)
URL1: www.christies.com/lot/lot-bita-vakili-iranian-b-1973-untitled-5828122/?sc_lang=zh
URL2: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39524
URL3: https://tehranauction.com/auction/AF-1352-2/
 

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