Reading the Two Poles of Metaphor and Metonymy in Ghahve Khane Paintings, Isfahan School Paintings and Saqa Khane Painting with Roman Jakobson's Semiotics Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate, Department of Islamic Art, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran,

2 ), PhD, Associate Professor of Creative Arts (in Painting), Department of Painting, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran

10.22070/negareh.2023.16137.3022

Abstract

Ghahve khane painting is one of the types of folk art that emerged in the Qajar era by passing through the painting of Isfahan school and under the influence of function and socio-cultural conditions. Meantime, in Qajar era (especially in the second half) when the special trend was towards Western naturalistic art, Ghahve khane painters have shown a tendency towards Western art while paying attention to the visual characteristics of traditional painting. This trend, using the factor of similarity to the painting elements of the Isfahan school, led to the replacement of elements with the characteristics of western art, examples of which can be seen in the paintings of this era. Substitution is a practice based on the similarity that appears in the metaphor, while the Metonymy of the sender is realized by relying on the coexistence of different elements. In other words, we use similitude in metaphor and proximity in metonymy. According to Jakobson's perspective, the metaphor and metonymy of the sender is not limited to verbal art, but also exists in other symbolic systems, apart from the symbolic system of language, such as works of art. Meanwhile, Ghahve khane painting artists used metaphor and allegory as a tool to shape a different image of reality and created images that while resembling the paintings of the Isfahan school, chose naturalistic forms in the axis of succession. Also, the use of emotional states in the face of enemies  are metaphor for their earthly nature and their ideal and similar faces are a sign of their divinity, while the largeness of the figures and occupying the most important parts of the frame, indicate greatness and holiness in them. Substitution is a practice based on the similarity shown in the metaphor, while the Majaz Mursal (a type of metonymy) is realized by relying on companionship. Choosing a small part of the event instead of the whole one is also related to principle of companionship and metonymy of the sender (such as a partial scene of Ashura instead of the whole event). According to Jakobson, metaphor is not limited to theological art, but also exists in systems of signs other than the system of signs of language, such as works of art. The importance and necessity of this issue starts from the fact that because Ghahve khane painting is formed from a combination of tradition and modernity, Jakobson's theory of metaphor and metonymy, based on the axis of companionship and succession in terms of structuralism, can better understand the painting of this era. One of the changes that can be seen with the advent of Qajar painting, especially Ghahve khane painting, is the use of special rhetorical figures of metaphor in works of art. The metaphor of borrowing from the root means using one element instead of another, because of the similarity between the two. This rhetorical figure is an expressive tool that provides the designer with a new framework for observing the world around them and is an effective tool for creating original works.
The upcoming research aims to study and compare 12 examples of Ghahve Khane paintings in comparison with six Isfahan school paintings and six Saqa Khane illustrations. The method of selecting pictures is selective and in line with the research objectives, and the method of data analysis is qualitative. One of the unique features of these paintings is the link between the visual characteristics of traditional painting and the characteristics of modern imagery, which can be analyzed from the perspective of the two poles of metaphor and permission (which is based on the two axes of substitution and companionship). The purpose of this article is to describe the dimension of metaphor and permission in Ghahve Khane painting from the perspective of Jakobson's semiotic approach. In this article, the Qajar era Ghahve Khane paintings are analyzed with the aim of leaving behind the dominant paradigms of traditional painting through analysis of text structure. In the present research, the question has been answered that what effect did metaphor have on the formation and flourishing of Ghahve Khane paintings and what were its role in the formation of contemporary pictorial tradition. The research method is carried out with a descriptive-analytical approach and collecting the information required for analysis in a library-based manner and according to the type of relationships of succession and cohabitation in the structure and combination of visual elements of Ghahve Khane painting in comparison with the paintings of the Isfahan school. It is assumed that a Ghahve khane painting was formed with the help of the metaphorical dimension and from the combination and replacement of the elements of the paintings of the Isfahan school. The results show that Ghahve Khane and Saqa Khane paintings were formed by using metaphor and metonymy, which according to Jakobson, are based on the two axes of substitution and companionship.

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Volume 20, Issue 73
April 2025
Pages 136-150
  • Receive Date: 28 May 2023
  • Revise Date: 26 September 2023
  • Accept Date: 11 October 2023