Curriculum Guide

Persian Visions

Contemporary Photography

from Iran

Exhibited October 14, 2005 – January 8, 2006

Nicolaysen Art Museum

McMurry Foundation Gallery

Including Introduction, Images, Lesson Ideas

and Education Standards

              Persian Visions:” Contemporary Photography from Iran”  is the first survey of contemporary Iranian photography to be presented in the United States. The exhibition provides a rare, revealing view of Iranian life and experiences with more than 60 works by renowned Iranian photographers.Of all the art forms, the medium of photography delivers detailed specifics that make cultural differences all the more interesting. The artistry presented in this exhibition is crafted by some of the most renowned and articulate photographers of Iran.  Its fortunate arrival in the U.S. is most timely because of our distance from the breathtaking beauty of the Islamic arts, and our growing interest in it, says Gary Hallman, exhibit co-curator. 

            The twenty artists in the exhibition are among Iran's most celebrated photographers, all of whom use the medium for cultural expression and self-exploration. Many of the artists are well known throughout Europe where they have extensively exhibited their works. Several artists have lived abroad and experienced western culture before returning to Iran to re-experience and document their own culture.  This perspective of life in Iran contradicts the way many foreign photographers use the medium-which is to represent Iran and its people as purely exotic. Iran has distinguished itself with the spectacular quality and international presence of its film and visual art. Now we can extend our appreciation of Iranian artists with this extraordinary variety of works.

              Though this show exhibits contemporary photography, the following curriculum guide focuses on the History of  Persian art, and provides an overview of the basis for its legacy. Throughout its development, Persian artistic achievement has normally been imperial in nature, with impressive majestic monuments or associated with royal patronage in book illustration. Countless painters, weavers, potters, calligraphers, metalworkers, and stone masons have produced some of the most beautiful works ever created, and contributed to the Persian artistic heritage that is known throughout the world. The country has always been known to its own people as Iran (land of the Aryans), although for centuries it was referred to as Persia (Pars or Fars, a province in southern Iran) by the Europeans, mainly due to the writings of Greek historians. In 1935 the Government specified that it should be called Iran; however, in 1949 they allowed both names to be used. Most people today know Persia or Iran through its carpets, its caviar, its costly war with its neighbor Iraq and the continuing turmoil in the Middle East, or through its importance as one of the world's major oil-producing nations. Yet, Persia has one of the richest and oldest cultures in the world.

                 For more than three thousand years Persia was a melting pot of civilizations and demographic movements between Asia and Europe. Under Cyrus the Great, it became the center of the world's first empire. Successive invasions by the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols and Turks developed the nation's culture through rich and diverse philosophical, artistic, scientific and religious intersections. The long prehistoric period in Iran is known to us mostly from excavation work carried out in a few key sites, which has led to a chronology of distinct periods, each one characterized by the development of certain types of pottery, artifacts and architecture. Pottery is one of the oldest Persian art forms, and examples have been unearthed from burial mounds (Tappeh), dating back to the 5th millennium BC.

              The "Animal style," which uses decorative animal motifs is very strong in the Persian culture first appearing in pottery, reappearing much later in the Luristan bronzes and again in Scythian art. During the Achaemenian and Sassanian periods, metal-work continued its ornamental development. Some of the most beautiful examples of metal-ware are gilded silver cups and dishes decorated with royal hunting scenes from the Sassanian Dynasty.

                 The earliest known distinctive style of Persian painting dates back to the Seljuk period, which is often referred to as the "Baghdad School". Early painting was mainly used to decorate manuscripts and versions of the Holy Koran, though some 13th century pottery found near Tehran indicates an early, unique Persian style of art. During the Mongol period, paintings were used to decorate all sorts of books.

              Persian architecture has a very long and complex history, and is often regarded as the field in which Persia made its greatest contribution to the world's culture. Although Persian styles differ sharply from any other Islamic architecture, they have strongly influenced buildings throughout much of the Islamic world, especially in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The art of the Iranian world from its earliest beginnings exhibited a constant and unmistakable characteristic, in spite of the many trends and currents and the abundance of foreign influences (Kianush, Art Arena, 2005).

               Some notable elements of Persian art you will want to identify for your students are their use of firm line, extensive detail and bold color.  Firm line is used to direct the viewer’s eye throughout the piece, which is apparent in the calligraphy of that region.  Extensive detail can be found within the Persian architecture and mosaic tiling.  Lastly, bold color is a strong element within almost all of the Persian art as it is woven into rugs and apparent within the glazes for the mosaic tiling.   We will also cover elements of Islamic Art because of its strong relationship to Persian Art.

Bowl, Iran, Samanid Dynasty

(819-1005)

Plate, 10th Century

Many Persian works of art bear no other form of decoration but calligraphy. The inherent flexibility of Arabic letters allowed their application to many different media, including textiles, ceramics, and architecture. Artists were able to render the words in circles, squares, straight lines, and interlaced patterns. Individual letters could be embellished with leaf forms or braided into knots. Calligraphers sometimes drew human or animal forms within the letters, which could be expanded or contracted to fit the space allotted. For example, the Arabic word for “blessing” inscribed on this bowl forms the breast of a bird, an example of zoomorphic calligraphy.

 Here are two examples of Persian Calligraphy

Persian Calligraphy

Illuminated Manuscript, Koran, 16th or 19th Centuries

The written word became a central feature early in the development of Islamic art, spawning the creation of sumptuous manuscripts. Chief among these were copies of the Koran, which is the Islamic bible. These were written by the best calligraphers and adorned with chapter headings, verse breaks, and frontispieces, often painted in gold and other precious colors. As figural representation was reserved only for secular (nonreligious) manuscripts, Korans were decorated with abstract floral and geometric designs.   The Koran is visually manifested through the act of writing, which holds an especially honored place in Islamic society. Over time, calligraphy (literally, “beautiful writing”) developed into a complex art form and was valued not only because of the religious and secular messages it conveyed but also because of its decorative qualities. It appears on everything from stone buildings to ceramic vessels, from manuscripts to silk robes. Some inscriptions consist of blessings while others are quotations from the Koran alluding to the purpose of the decorated object. The Arabic alphabet is used for a number of languages, such as Persian, Urdu, and Ottoman Turkish, much as the Roman alphabet is used for many of the Romance languages. Written from right to left, the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are made up of seventeen basic forms consisting of simple vertical and horizontal strokes that are modified by dots above and below. The letters can be altered to accommodate any surface or scale; they can also be transformed into intricate, yet still legible

The Art of Words

Grades  K+, modify for age level

Goal:

To create a design composed of letters based on the study of the use of text in Persian art

Objectives:

-Students will study Persian culture in order to understand the written

word’s relevance and its reflection of cultural values.

-Students will study the images provided to identify how script

was used in the objects’ design and to analyze the objects’ elements

and composition.

-Students will discuss how the use of letters enhances the design or the

purpose of the object.

Procedure:

Discussion: Show your students the images in this guide. Following are some questions that will open up discussion:

Describe:  How would you describe what you see in this image? What kinds of lines, colors, shapes, textures, forms, values, and spaces do you see?

 Identify: What characteristics identify this work of art as part of Persian culture? (Firm line, extensive detail, bold color, etc…as identified in description [see introduction]).

Where is Arabic script employed as part of this object’s decoration?

Analyze: Does this object have a focal point, and if so, how did the artist emphasize it? Where and how does the artist lead your eye?

How has repetition been used in the object’s design, and how does variation add interest?What adds harmony to this work of art?

Interpret: Why do you think the artist created this object?

How do you think the artist intended the viewer to respond, and why?

Did the artist include or omit anything that makes you think so?

Vocabulary:

pictogram – a stylized drawing of an object or living thing. Pictograms are the earliest basis for all writing systems.

zoomorphic – in the shape of an animal.

symmetry – a state in which one side of a visual image is a mirror image of the other.

negative space - the space remaining outside of an object depicted in a visual composition.

This lesson plan created by the Smithsonian Institution and modified by the Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center, 2005

Wyoming Education Standards:

Content Standard:

Fine Arts

1. Creative Expression Through Production

              All Benchmarks, K-8

2. Aesthetic Perception

              All Benchmarks, K-8

3. Historical & Cultural Context

              Benchmark 1, K-8

Social Studies

2. Culture/Cultural Diversity

              Benchmark 1, Grades K, 5 & 6

5. People, Places & Environments

              Benchmark 4, Grades 3 & 4

              Benchmark 3, Grades 5 & 6

Language Arts

1.  Reading

              Benchmark 6, Grade K

              Benchmark 10, Grade K

3. Speaking and Listening

              Benchmark 1, Grades K-4

              Benchmark 3, Grades K-2, 5 & 6

              Benchmark 4, Grade 5

              Benchmark 6, Grades 5 & 6

Art Activity:

Activity 1: Have the students make contour drawings of an animal or natural form of

their choice. Within the form’s interior, instruct them to use either Arabic or English letters to create patterns and/or texture in the image.

Acitvity 2: Have the students select from a book of fonts or lettering matches personally create a letter style and choose a variety of words for which the style of the definitions of the words. Instruct students to develop an alphabet of their own design. Allow students to use letters in order to develop pictograms.

Activity 3: animal logos

In zoomorphic designs, the lettering is often formed into the shape of an

animal (see figures below). Using the Latin alphabet, form a design in the

shape of an object or animal, using a word or phrase related to that animal

Persian Tile

Grades K+, modify for age level.

This activity can be followed using actual ceramic materials, or modified for use on paper or air-dry clay, and colored with paint or markers.

Objectives: 

- Students learn to make Persian inspired tiles  

- The lesson incorporates art history, cultural awareness, aesthetics, and criticism with a hands- on activity.

- The lesson focuses on important design elements and a variety of technical skills essential to tile making.

Materials:

FOR CERAMIC:

- 6” unglazed bisque tiles

- variety of underglazes

- majolica glaze and decorating colors or engobes

- sufficient copies of patterns

- pencils

- transfer paper

- kiln

FOR MODIFICATION:

- air-dry clay

- copies of pattern

- markers and/or acrylic paint

- pencils

- transfer paper

Procedure: 

-An overview of various types of tiles should be presented with an emphasis on Persian tiles. Explain the various artistic and architectural uses of tiles and the history of Persian tiles.

-Show students examples of tiles

- Explain that Persian tile designs were not usually created by the tilemaker, but rather by design specialists. The tilemaker expanded the designs to fit the working space — a wall, a floor, a roof. The designs were repeated over and over; each tile was just a small part of the overall pattern. Tile design, like carpet design, is both a craft and an industry that evolved in Persia over centuries. Small specialty firms all over Iran employ very talented artisans to design and make carpets, tiles, pottery, brass work, woodwork, and fabric. These are very complicated, very beautiful art forms, and the craft is studied and learned by one generation after another. The designs and techniques aren’t taught at universities, but passed on by masters to their apprentices. Designs can be original creations or copied from photographs or books. The designs must then be altered, revised, and changed in size to accommodate the size of the tile composition one plans to make.

This lesson was created by and based on the work of artist Jafar Mogadam, Riverside, Iowa, and modified by the Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center, 2005.

Wyoming Education standards:

Content Standard:

Fine Arts

1. Creative Expression through Production

              All Benchmarks, K-8

2. Aesthetic Perception

              All Benchmarks, K-8

3. Historical & Cultural Context

              Benchmark 1, K-8

Social Studies

2. Culture/Cultural Diversity

              Benchmark 1, Grades K, 5 & 6

5. People, Places & Environments

              Benchmark 4, Grades 3 & 4

              Benchmark 3, Grades 5 & 6

Language Arts

3. Speaking and Listening

              Benchmark 1, Grades K-4

              Benchmark 3, Grades K-2, 5 & 6

              Benchmark 4, Grade 5

              Benchmark 6, Grades 5 & 6

Art Activities:

FOR CERAMIC ACTIVITY: Explain the two techniques presented in this lesson plan — tile painting using underglazes and tile painting using the majolica process

Ceramic:

(Recommended for middle and high school)

Younger students should use the patterns found in this lesson plan. More advanced students may wish to make their own patterns. A class may wish to create a group project.

Underglaze Tiles

2. Using six inch unglazed bisque tiles, students transfer or trace the design onto the tiles with carbon paper.

3. Use black underglaze and other colors to paint the outline of the carbon tracing.

4. Students should select colors to reflect the design or effect they wish to achieve.

5. Fill in each area of the design, each color, using two or three coats of underglaze for complete coverage.

6. Go over the outline again to make sure that all the lines are precise thickness

7. Check all the colors for complete, solid coverage.

8. When the tile is complete and the underglazes completely dry, apply at

least two coats of clear glaze. Wait for each coat to dry before applying

the next coat.

9. The tiles are fired to glaze cone.

Majolica Tiles

2. Apply three to four coats of opaque white glaze to the tile. Be sure each coat is dry before the next coat is applied.

3. When the glaze is completely dry, carefully trace design onto tile using carbon paper and pencil

4. Use black engobe or overglaze to outline the design. This is applied over the unfired white glaze.

5. Basic background colors using overglazes are applied with two to three coats. With three coats the glaze is more opaque.

6. Final designs are painted over background colors using two to three coats.

7. Tile is fired to glaze cone.

For Air-Dry Clay

(Recommended for elementary and middle school)

- Using 6” rolled out and dried tiles, the students transfer or trace the design onto the tiles with carbon paper.

- They can then outline the design with permanent marker and color with either markers or paint

For Paper

(Recommended for elementary grades)

 - Copy the design templates above to desired size, and have the students decorate them with marker, crayons, colored pencils, and add any embellishments they wish.

Additional Suggestions:

- Patterns included with this lesson will give your students ideas for creating a design. Students may follow this technique to create their own patterns. Floral, animal, bird, and geometric patterns are typical of Persian tiles.

- If students are going to make multiple tile compositions, designs must be created with the exact number of tiles in mind. If the piece will be four tiles, the original design should be 12 inches by 12 inches. The design should accommodate the four-tile composition.

Persian tile

Persian tiles