Islamic Art Studies

Islamic Art Studies

Examining the Principles of Formal Aesthetic in the Architecture of the Qajar and Pahlavi Periods Based on Gestalt Theory

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Fariba Amini 1
Ghasem Motalebi 2
Samaneh Dabbaghchi 3
1 PhD student in Architecture, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
10.22034/ias.2023.407795.2252
Abstract
Aesthetics, with an empirical-analytical approach based on sensory perception and a psychological perspective aimed at achieving the process of "conformity" in the experience of beauty, is influenced by Gestalt theory. Gestalt theory of perception is among the prominent theories of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Given the influence of modern architecture on contemporary Iranian architecture, examining its application in contemporary modern buildings in Iran is deemed necessary. The aim of this research is to explain the formal aesthetics of contemporary Iranian architecture (from the late Qajar period to the second Pahlavi era) from the Gestalt perspective. In this research, to determine the criteria of formal aesthetics with an approach based on deductive-inductive reasoning, survey methods and correlational research have been employed. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistical test and Pearson correlation were used to determine the relationship between the components, and accordingly, the priority of application of each component in the case studies is determined. Subsequently, the research is re-validated using the "case-based reasoning" method. The results indicate that the most important perceptual components in the design of architectural form, with an internal correlation coefficient of 0.663, fall within a single category of Gestalt principles, revealing a reciprocal and bilateral relationship between them.
Research Objectives:


Explaining the formal aesthetics of architecture from the Gestalt perspective.


Explaining the formal aesthetics of contemporary Iranian architecture from the Gestalt perspective.


Research Questions:


What is the formal aesthetics of architecture from the Gestalt perspective?


What is the formal aesthetics of contemporary Iranian architecture from the Gestalt perspective?
Keywords
Aesthetics
Architecture
Qajar and Pahlavi Periods
Gestalt Perspective
Subjects
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