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 (Corresponding author).
2 Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
10.22034/jasi.2026.2088138.1624
Abstract
One of the most salient manifestations of culture in any society is art. In Iran, art has functioned as a comprehensive mirror reflecting societal developments across multiple levels. Among the visual arts, painting occupies a distinctive position in delineating the social landscape of Iranian society. The 1970s represent a period particularly replete with social and pictorial transformations in the history of contemporary Iranian painting. This decade encompasses, on the one hand, the consolidation of modernist art, and on the other, the emergence of the art of the Islamic Revolution, subsequently followed by the painting of the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s. This convergence—wherein modernist art intersected within a single decade with popular and socially engaged art, and subsequently with epic and nationalistic art tied to war ideology—necessitates this research. In this regard, Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the field offers a productive framework for elucidating the reflections of power and social conditions upon artistic developments. The present study employs Bourdieu's theoretical framework concerning the field—a concept used in analyzing social structure and identifying bases of classification and social stratification. This research aims to investigate how the artistic field—that is, the overarching social policies of the period—influenced Iranian painting during the 1970s. Accordingly, it addresses the following research question: How can the transformations of the artistic field in contemporary Iranian painting (1970s) be explained through Bourdieu's theory of the field? This qualitative research employs a descriptive-analytical method. Data collection was conducted through library-based research, utilizing note-taking and computer-assisted search tools. The research population comprises all paintings produced in Iran during the 1970s, from which six works were selected through purposive sampling. The findings indicate that the artistic field in contemporary Iranian painting during the 1970s was characterized by an imbalance of power and a lack of uniform valuation throughout the decade.
Keywords
Contemporary Iranian Painting
Bourdieu's Field Theory
the 1970s
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