Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)

Grotesque is an artistic and literary form that has appeared in contemporary art, having a history as long as the 16th century. According to Mikhail Bakhtin, a 20th-century literary theorist, a critical approach is formed in the official space of society, which is connected with the values and ways...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amir Hossein Pormehr Yabandeh, Mohsen Marasy
Format: Article
Language:fas
Published: University of Tehran 2025-01-01
Series:هنرهای زیبا. هنرهای تجسمی
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jfava.ut.ac.ir/article_98989_77970496d6a389699220c73f50caae00.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850024883457622016
author Amir Hossein Pormehr Yabandeh
Mohsen Marasy
author_facet Amir Hossein Pormehr Yabandeh
Mohsen Marasy
author_sort Amir Hossein Pormehr Yabandeh
collection DOAJ
description Grotesque is an artistic and literary form that has appeared in contemporary art, having a history as long as the 16th century. According to Mikhail Bakhtin, a 20th-century literary theorist, a critical approach is formed in the official space of society, which is connected with the values and ways of human social behavior in the contemporary world, and literary, visual, and cultural studies can provide the basis for planning and understanding the dimensions of artistic life. Bakhtin’s perspective regarding the Carnival of the Middle Ages led to the creation of a humorous culture within an informal domain. In the history of literature and art, as well as in cultural and social situations, classical laws, standards, and proportions have always contrasted with the grotesque, and any pre-determined conceptual frameworks are abandoned. This critical attitude develops in the formal space of the community, which is related to free emancipation and the formation of a new personality. Also, the grotesque attitude motivates community members to engage in social debate and discuss issues of form and identity change. Grotesque represents conflict, fear, exaggeration, laughter, change, or confusion in the creation of artistic or literary work. The new approach toward social life can be portrayed as a way that everything overpowering, dry, and serious is overturned and mocked to adapt to the surroundings and people. The concept of a grotesque body proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin serves as the theoretical foundation for this study. In a grotesque body, inconsistency, and ambiguity are caused by the reflection of abnormal things in the body and face, resulting in the abandonment of established standards in the representation of the body and face and deform them into something weird yet familiar. The current research began by asking how the visual characteristics of the grotesque body appeared in Iranian theater and movie posters in the 1390s. What are the concepts expressed by the reflection of the grotesque body in 1390s Iranian theatrical and movie posters? The current research aims to analyze the visual features of Iranian theater and movie posters of the 1390s and grotesque features, to convey a novel definition and concept to provide a deep communication with the audience. The descriptive research method includes content analysis and library information collecting methods, through note-taking and image reading. The data analysis method has been qualitative and sampling has been goal-oriented. The results of this research suggest that the idea of grotesque in modern Iranian cultural posters refers to the illustration of a human being in connection with nature and an inverted life, expressing an ambiguous element. Also, it covers human disturbances, transformations, and phobias, which have found a critical and societal function. Individual life experiences in the world, combined with an aesthetic model influenced by Bakhtin's viewpoint, have resulted in the construction of an indeterminate border in the works, which creates the distinguishing element of the grotesque in Iranian theater and film posters in the 1390s.
format Article
id doaj-art-94c7ae2eaea541a7bc7f58c3a09626e0
institution DOAJ
issn 2228-6039
2538-5178
language fas
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher University of Tehran
record_format Article
series هنرهای زیبا. هنرهای تجسمی
spelling doaj-art-94c7ae2eaea541a7bc7f58c3a09626e02025-08-20T03:00:59ZfasUniversity of Tehranهنرهای زیبا. هنرهای تجسمی2228-60392538-51782025-01-01294637410.22059/jfava.2024.376101.66727398989Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)Amir Hossein Pormehr Yabandeh0Mohsen Marasy1PhD Student of Art Research, Department of Art Research, Faculty of Art, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.Assistant Professor, Department of Art Research, Faculty of Art, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.Grotesque is an artistic and literary form that has appeared in contemporary art, having a history as long as the 16th century. According to Mikhail Bakhtin, a 20th-century literary theorist, a critical approach is formed in the official space of society, which is connected with the values and ways of human social behavior in the contemporary world, and literary, visual, and cultural studies can provide the basis for planning and understanding the dimensions of artistic life. Bakhtin’s perspective regarding the Carnival of the Middle Ages led to the creation of a humorous culture within an informal domain. In the history of literature and art, as well as in cultural and social situations, classical laws, standards, and proportions have always contrasted with the grotesque, and any pre-determined conceptual frameworks are abandoned. This critical attitude develops in the formal space of the community, which is related to free emancipation and the formation of a new personality. Also, the grotesque attitude motivates community members to engage in social debate and discuss issues of form and identity change. Grotesque represents conflict, fear, exaggeration, laughter, change, or confusion in the creation of artistic or literary work. The new approach toward social life can be portrayed as a way that everything overpowering, dry, and serious is overturned and mocked to adapt to the surroundings and people. The concept of a grotesque body proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin serves as the theoretical foundation for this study. In a grotesque body, inconsistency, and ambiguity are caused by the reflection of abnormal things in the body and face, resulting in the abandonment of established standards in the representation of the body and face and deform them into something weird yet familiar. The current research began by asking how the visual characteristics of the grotesque body appeared in Iranian theater and movie posters in the 1390s. What are the concepts expressed by the reflection of the grotesque body in 1390s Iranian theatrical and movie posters? The current research aims to analyze the visual features of Iranian theater and movie posters of the 1390s and grotesque features, to convey a novel definition and concept to provide a deep communication with the audience. The descriptive research method includes content analysis and library information collecting methods, through note-taking and image reading. The data analysis method has been qualitative and sampling has been goal-oriented. The results of this research suggest that the idea of grotesque in modern Iranian cultural posters refers to the illustration of a human being in connection with nature and an inverted life, expressing an ambiguous element. Also, it covers human disturbances, transformations, and phobias, which have found a critical and societal function. Individual life experiences in the world, combined with an aesthetic model influenced by Bakhtin's viewpoint, have resulted in the construction of an indeterminate border in the works, which creates the distinguishing element of the grotesque in Iranian theater and film posters in the 1390s.https://jfava.ut.ac.ir/article_98989_77970496d6a389699220c73f50caae00.pdfvisual aspectsgrotesquetheater posterscinema postersmikhail bakhtin
spellingShingle Amir Hossein Pormehr Yabandeh
Mohsen Marasy
Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)
هنرهای زیبا. هنرهای تجسمی
visual aspects
grotesque
theater posters
cinema posters
mikhail bakhtin
title Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)
title_full Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)
title_fullStr Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)
title_full_unstemmed Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)
title_short Reading the Visual Aspects of the Grotesque Body in the Iranian Cinema and Theater Posters (1390s)
title_sort reading the visual aspects of the grotesque body in the iranian cinema and theater posters 1390s
topic visual aspects
grotesque
theater posters
cinema posters
mikhail bakhtin
url https://jfava.ut.ac.ir/article_98989_77970496d6a389699220c73f50caae00.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT amirhosseinpormehryabandeh readingthevisualaspectsofthegrotesquebodyintheiraniancinemaandtheaterposters1390s
AT mohsenmarasy readingthevisualaspectsofthegrotesquebodyintheiraniancinemaandtheaterposters1390s