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Reprinted from:
Memar magazine
Fall 2003
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Research
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Persian
Sense of Beauty
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Architecture
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They say, we Persians
have a rich cultural heritage, OK, I agree. But, how
can we put it into the use? How would we ever dare
bridge the gap between our present and our antiquated
past?
Antiquity devotees would nod in sympathy: you should
drop the covering, the product and hold on to the
process. It's the Permanent Values of Traditional
Architecture that you should resort and hang on to.
OK! I'll try to learn the permanent values of our
traditional architecture, but, do I need not to first
penetrate through the minds of our ancestors to
understand their way of thinking and living? I,
personally, believe we would feel rather disappointed
if we do!
Today, we need different products, the process of our
art production has alerted, and our values don't have
remained unchanged either.
If we have no other choice, but to build on the basis
of our own culture, the question would be, "what
should we build then"? I'd say a Persian
modernism. And by that, I don't mean an implanted
sort, but one deeply Persian in its origin. Is that
possible? Well, at least we can agree its not
inconceivable, since we all admit the fact that there
is such a thing as Persian Culture: It's a
civilization composed of different elements inspired
by different cultures, but totally, Persian in its
essence and harmonized well enough to be distinguished
as a unique culture.
There's no proof to the statement than the fact that
Persian art could be comprehended just within the
context of the Persian culture.
Artistic forms grow and evolve on the ground of
relevant civilizations. As civilizations decline, the
process of art making starts to vanish, while these
forms continue to survive. We can ask ourselves, what
makes a modern French artwork, well, French. In my
opinion, such work is rather modern in its content,
but French in form. It's not important at all, whether
the content is French or not. Good themes are mostly
global. It'd be enough for a work of art, to have
something of the French sense of beauty, in order to
be recognized as French. Most forms are local; those
few global forms are rare and are mostly related to
the very basic needs of human beings. That's why I
think as far as the problem of identity is concerned.
The role of "form" has been underestimated.
To my view, we need to adopt, instead of Persian
ideology, a systematic account of the Persian
esthetics and Persian sense of beauty. Beauty is
judged according to its corresponding culture, but
ideas are judged by criterion other than the
nationality of the believer. It's the Persian culture
that appeals to us. And as long as we feel and
comprehend it, it's still alive and active.
I'd like to introduce a building that backs up the
arguments of the article. It's not a very noble work
of art though, but in some aspects, it's unique. I
don't think, there'd be many other examples, in which
a foreign architect, using the traditional element of
Persian architecture, without disturbing its Persian
spirit, has managed to design, in terms of building
type and function, a traditional building with a
totally different content, a church. Zealous Simon's
Church in Shiraz is such a building.
Although this building is neither an example of
Persian modernism nor a completely successful
architectural work, one can learn a very interesting
lessons from it: As long as Persian sense of beauty is
present, the content could consist of anything. If we
recognize the impression of this building as a Persian
one, and it actually creates such as impression, we'll
have to segregate the term "Persian
Architecture" from that of "Islamic
Architecture". This building, considering its
function, is obviously not "Islamic".
Persian architecture builds caravansaries and bazaars,
as well as mosques and medrassahs (not forgetting the
fire-temples and palaces), and in this case has
created a church. Sash windows taken from Yazd's
houses and installed in the church's stone walls,
match the rest of the building so well one might
imagine they have been there from the very beginning!
The whole building is designed with a kind of childish
delight, as if the architect has intended to put
together in one building, whatever he has found
admirable in Persian architecture. The result,
however, has in no way ended up in eccentricity or
lack of harmony. The sign of cross goes so well with
the arabesque patterns that gives the viewer no chance
to recognize its totally different origin at the first
glance. The vaults carry no specific meaning; they
just carry the load of the roof. And, they're
beautiful, absolutely beautiful: The building has not
been designed by following a series of prearranged
frameworks, neither by the imitation of construction
processes, and nor by the mimicry of traditional
values. It's just a new composition in the same
esthetic system. The subject of this building is a
traditional one, but it could have easily been modern
as well.
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Research:
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