SOCIAL CONTENTS OF MODERN IRAQI PAINTING

SOCIAL CONTENTS
OF MODERN IRAQI PAINTING
AN ANALYTIC FIELD STUDY
IN PAINTING GALLERIES AND CENTERS OF ART IN BAGHDAD

This research is an approach to the study of the relationship between art and society, which considers a complicated issue confronting researchers in the field of sociology of art, because it extends through the time and space. Accordingly, the present research is an attempt to trace this relation, by studying of the products of painting in Iraq in terns of the social implication in general, and with in the limits of the concept of social content in modern painting in particular.
As the concept of the social content represents the topic, such of this research, deals with its essence, that means arrival at the purpose of the objective of artistic work as an important means of communication, in a way that makes the researcher taking it as one of ambiguous social concept, particularly if we realized that each work of art is a form (an individual product) and a content (of social implication). Hence, the researcher worked, with in the limits of modern Iraqi painting, to revel the ambiguity of this concept, which was not academically studied before.
The researcher deals with two aims: defining exchange between art and society, and the essence of the social contents in Iraqi painting. The researcher used the technique of (content - analysis) in order to describe the artistic painting content. He used oil painting in galleries and centers for art in Baghdad as a field of his research. He chose purposive sample, by the help of experts that consists of (30) paintings. Then he made a form to show social (content - analysis) in painting that consists of (23) items, by the help of experts, through which he can get a precise analysis for the content of painting, using a number of statistical means to describe samples and to arrive at the results. Among which are median and standard deviation to describe the samples. T test to show samples validity, Holisti equation to calculate analysis reliability, collection of coefficient frequencies and its percentage in statistical tables of analysis results. The research lasted from 5 /12 /1998 to 25/12 /1999
The researcher fulfilled the objectives of the research and arrived at the following findings:
Doubtless modern Iraqi painting is tied up with issues and interests of the society, in a way that allows subject of common significance and subjects of social reality. These two subjects constituted (66.6 %) of the total of research sample subjects.
Subjects of modern Iraqi painting are inspired from historical and social reality of Iraqi society that constituted (86,7 % )of subjects used by samples.
Modern Iraqi painting with in all its styles was so close to the society. The frequently used include realism and the styles that close to the realism (such as the expressionism, symbolism, and surrealism) which constituted (66.6 %) of the sample styles.
The most obvious feature in modern Iraqi painting is feeling with the group and its problems. It constituted ( 78,3 % ) of samples that embodied figures of people.
Modern Iraqi painting with in the limits of visual dimension favored a symbolized subject as most efficient way in communicating the artist message. Symbolism constituted (56,7%) of research samples, stressing the artist’s desire to contribute in changing his society to the best.




Title of Thesis: SOCIAL CONTENTS OF MODERN IRAQI PAINTING
AN ANALYTIC FIELD STUDY
IN PAINTING GALLERIES AND CENTERS OF ART IN BAGHDAD
By : Dr. Ali Witwit
Chair of Sociology Dep.
Collge of Arts - University of Qadissiya