Analytical Evaluation of Khiyali-Negari Rate in the Works of the First and Second Generation of Ghahveh-Khaneh Painters

Ghahveh-Khaneh (Coffee house) painting is one of the most prominent manifestations of folk art. This style of painting is specific to painters who, despite their lack of education, succeeded in communicating what they had in mind through their special painting skills. Their thoughts originated from their pure perceptions of the social environment. In other words, imaginative Ghahveh-Khaneh painters (Khiyali-Negar) chose the themes of their paintings from the heart of society. On the other hand, architecture is a conveyor of life, and life, in all its forms, is only well expressed in architecture. Therefore, traces of architecture and all its aspects can be found in every work of both formal and folk arts. Similarly, due to its direct connection with the general public, coffee house painting is worth a search for traces of architecture in it. Therefore, the research problem started with the idea of examining the architectural spaces in Ghahveh-Khaneh paintings, but later, it went beyond the limits of spaces, toward architectural concepts, components, elements and decorations. The main objective of the present research is to examine the architectural aspects (spaces, components, elements and decorations) of Ghahveh-Khaneh paintings categorized based on painters’ generations and their painting themes. The research questions are: 1. How has the generation change of Ghahveh-Khaneh painters affected the architectural Ghahveh-Khaneh paintings? 2. How have the painting themes affected the architectural Ghahveh-Khaneh paintings? The method employed in this research is a combination of historical and descriptive methods combined with analytical methods. Documentary studies of this research started with resources available in Astan Quds Razavi Library as well as other databases. In the first stage, regardless of the architectural aspects, 215 paintings were collected. Next, emphasis was directly put on paintings that illustrated the architecture, and 55 paintings of the first and the second-generation painters with various themes were selected from among them accordingly. The independent research variables include architectural concepts (shape, space, and order), components and elements (structural and architectural), and decorative elements. According to the research questions, the dependent variable is the degree of imagination in imaginative painting (Khiyali-Negari). After choosing the paintings, they were examined based on their architectural components and indicators, and the findings were later analyzed using descriptive statistics. Ghahveh-Khaneh painting is a form of folk painting that holds a special place in the contemporary art of Iran as it originates from the heart of society. This type of painting generally has religious, combat, festive, and folk themes. This form of painting dates back to the end of Qajar era. After the constitutional revolution of Iran which raised public awareness, more attention was paid to folklore. At the request of the people and based on the orders placed by coffee house owners, the Ghahveh-Khaneh painters recreated the epic spirit and the history of the bravery of the Iranian people in this popular environment. Ghahveh-Khaneh paintings demonstrate numerous indications to help understand architecture, especially in terms of space, geometry, function, structure, and decorations. In terms of architectural demonstration, the paintings are generally divided into three categories. The first group includes paintings the main theme of which is architecture. The second group includes paintings the theme of which is not architecture; yet, they depict detailed architectural information. The third group includes paintings that neither have architectural themes nor happen in a built environment. The connection of such paintings to architecture relies on the painter's perception and imagination of the spaces. In the present research, three important aspects of architecture, i.e. architectural concepts, components and elements (structural and architectural), and decorative elements in Ghahveh-Khaneh paintings have been investigated. The study demonstrates that the degree of imagination in the paintings of the first generation painters is lower than that of the second generation painters. On the other hand, the degree of imagination in combat paintings was higher than other themes. The authors suggest finding the reasons behind these findings as a topic for future research.