Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Bourdieu's Field in the Analysis of Contemporary Iranian Painting (The 1970s)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mehdi Parastar Shahri 1
gholam reza shamloo 2
bashir pourvaghar 2
1 Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
10.22034/jasi.2026.2088138.1624
Abstract
Among the visual arts, painting holds a special place in depicting the social landscape of Iran. The 1970s in the history of contemporary Iranian painting was replete with social and visual changes. This decade, on one hand, saw the consolidation of modernist art and modern painting, and on the other hand, encompassed the art of the Islamic Revolution and subsequently the painting of the imposed war (Iran-Iraq War). In this context, Pierre Bourdieu's theory of field can be instrumental in explaining the reflections of power and social conditions in artistic developments. The present study aims to examine Bourdieu's field in contemporary Iranian painting (the 1970s) and seeks to answer the following question: How can the developments in the art field of contemporary Iranian painting (the 1970s) be explained based on Bourdieu's field theory? Data were collected through library research, using index cards and computer scanning equipment as data collection tools. The findings and results of this research indicate that the art field in contemporary Iranian painting during the 1970s was characterized by a power imbalance and a lack of uniform valuation throughout the decade. It involved, on one hand, the consolidation of the rules established in the 1960s art scene, and on the other hand, opposition to and displacement of the dominant rules, leading to the creation of combined and heterogeneous rules. Consequently, the diverse art field of the 1970s did not lead to any sustained or continuous movement in contemporary Iranian painting.
Keywords
Contemporary Iranian Painting, Bourdieu'
s Field Theory, , Islamic Revolution Painting, Painting of the Imposed War
Subjects
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Iranian Journal Of Antheropology
Volume 22, Issue 41
February 2026
Pages 257-276