Narrating Landscape in Wall Paintings

Document Type : Review

Author

Tarbiat Modarres University

Abstract

City is the most comprehensive collection of human achievements in history, and the result of human activities in the fields of culture, architecture, industry, art, social relations, knowledge, ethics and politics.  Urban landscape therefore, is capable to explain quality of the relations among these areas and convey their meanings in urban structure. Urban arts undertake a significant role in the advent of urban landscape for instance in social, economic, cultural and political contexts.
The present study is conducted on the assumption that art, as one of the richest and most diverse spiritual capitals of societies, is able to influence the creation of human-oriented landscape in cities. An analytic-descriptive method is used to answer the questions of "what" are the applications of urban arts in urban landscape, and "how" wall painting can help to achieve a pleasant and human-oriented urban landscape.
The results of the study shows that urban arts influence both subjective and objective approaches of the urban landscape and the potentials of this art is effective in the fundamental features of urban landscape as "readability", "identity" and "beauty". Ten functionalities of wall painting have been detected, which are involved in achieving the characteristics of a pleasing urban landscape. Wall paintings are more effective in readability and identity possession of the urban landscape than the urban beautification. This reveals the in-depth and lasting influences of wall painting on urban landscape, which is indicative of applying the effect of art on mental layers through the city's appearance.

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