Identity Status in the Works of Iraqi Contemporary Artists

Abstract

The research paper evaluates Iraqi art and craft by drawing lessons since the revolution period and noting the nation’s identity in the art that continues to evolve and passed on to contemporary artists. The revival of the “return to the roots" has been a discernible trend in Iraq from the early 1950s, which marked the formative period of contemporary Iraqi art. Various artists and their artworks have been scrutinized to grasp the motivation, predominant themes, and artistic styles that define Iraqi art. The first wave of modern painters, such as Shakir Hassan AlSaid, and Jewad Salim saw "culture continuity" as the primary substance of their artistic work as they passed this approach on to the next generation. This research explores the evolution of contemporary Iraqi art and seeks to determine cultural and artistic continuation in current Iraqi paintings by analyzing and describing a sample of artwork by contemporary Iraqi artists. As a result, the hypothesis is scrutinized using Robert Wuthnow's approach. Although the art movement's design and objective production are deeply embedded in the "mobilization of funds," Wuthnow claims that factors like the artists' "social Horizon," "existing discourse context," and "cultural equity" impact the artistic content and method of the movement. According to research findings collected from historical methodologies, modern Iraqi artists used four factors: pre-Islamic or Mesopotamian, Islamic, modern source, and folk tales source to establish works of art that were both contemporary and Iraqi at the same time, and it could be classified as Modern Iraqi art. Despite the minimal documentation of this topic, this paper confirms that art plays a huge role in imparting societal values, in the process creating an Iraqi’s art identity.