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Abbas Attar (Body of work), Analysis, Midground : Bodies of four genrals…

- - - - Black and White photos are usually used to censor disturbing or gory subject matter, in the news or elsewhere, however Attar's work shows how despite being in Black and White, the agony of people and their suffering during the Iranian Revolution is effectively depicted nonetheless. This raw emotion was conveyed only through focusing the attention of the viewers on the people's body language , facial expressions and more.
- - - - Monochromatic Colours: The use of monochromatic colours is present in all of Abbas’s photographs, this is mainly due to represent and set the tone of the photographs which represent horrible situations majority consisting of consequences and atrocities of violent acts. In this picture the colours play the same role. In the photo is a person was burnt alive as the result of Shah’s regime. The body is of a presumed prostitute and is used as evidence to present the oppressive, brutal and corrupt governing at the time. This was justified by the revolutionaries as a “purifying fire”, the use of black and white colours here represent cruelness, it sets a very depressing and a vivid mood in the viewer’s head to go along with the context and the actual photograph which depicts the horrible situation.
      - Space
        
        Negative Space
        
        In the photo there is use of negative space, the background of the photograph is empty and the first sight of a viewer is directed towards the main point (the body) with the use of negative space.
        
        Positive Space
        
        The positive space in the photograph is the burnt body and the crowd of people. The photograph is taken in a way where the viewer looks at the burnt body first. The intention behind this is to show the audience the consequences of violence. Moreover there is also a lone of sight, the viewer first looks at the body then looks at the crowd of people. This illustrates the artist's message to make the audience aware about how brutal the situation is. There also comes the country's standpoint of the situation, the Iranian authorities believe that prostitution is a western plot designed to corrupt youth or blame women for falling foul of unscrupulous men, as a result the entire red district was burnt down killing well over a 1000 people so in a different perspective this image serves as a warning to many residents.
      - The foregrounding of the image presents the body of a dead prostitute who was killed as a result of an act of “purification”. Whilst the photo foregrounds the saddening sight of a dead woman, it aims to highlight the atrocities of conflict- in this case, protest. The background then exhibits a large number of people in support of this act, portraying how the magnitude of conflict often outweighs that of peace. The monochromatic color scheme further contributes to this by creating a dull, negative tone to represent the nature of oppression, bleak and heinous. Additionally, the negative space of the image, the top, directs the viewer's gaze towards the burnt body of the prostitute. It places their focus towards this scene, informing the audience about the
- - - - IRAN. Tehran. February 15, 1979. The bodies of four generals, executed after a secret trial held at Ayatollah KHOMEINY’S headquarters at the Refa girls’ school. Their bodies lie at the morgue. Top left General KHOSROWDAD, top right General RAHIMI, bottom left General NAJI, bottom right General NASSIRI (ex chief of the SAVAK secret police).
      - Analysis
        
        Mise en Scene and the techniques used
        Everything that goes in front of the camera (or affects it) in that particular scene
        
        Photograph 2
        
        Background: A masked man sitting behind the bodies in the morgue
        
        Monochromatic color
        
        The monochromatic scheme employed in this photograph appears to our group as an emblematic manifestation of censorship. The image depicts four deceased individuals, evidently executed, whose bodies now rest in a mortuary. These cadavers bear unmistakable indications of violence, as they are riddled with wounds and exhibit disfigurement. It is our contention that the application of monochrome tonality serves a dual purpose: on one hand, it serves as a shield to safeguard the viewer from the sheer brutality of the victims' plight; on the other, it intimates the inescapability of their agony, which remains impervious to attempts at visual censorship.
        
        Figures present
        
        Extremists
        
        The figures exhibit a demeanor that is notably devoid of emotion and consistently guarded, as evidenced by their tendency to carry small arms and conceal their facial features. Their emotional detachment and vigilant behavior suggest a level of caution and wariness
        
        The presence of arms among these extremists, even within the confines of a morgue containing only their members and the deceased individuals, suggests a marked level of insecurity and a profound lack of trust in those around them. T
        
        Deceased individuals
        
        Physical Indicators
        
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        Facial Expressions
        
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        Space
        
        Positive space
        
        The image contains an abundance of positive space, which serves to draw the viewer's attention to the entirety of the picture rather than merely to the bodies shielded by the extremists. By emphasizing the presence of positive space, the image encourages the viewer to engage in a deeper level of analysis, searching for hidden details and meaning that may not be immediately apparent. This engagement with the image invites the viewer to contemplate the complexity of the subject matter and to reflect on the profound suffering and pain that it represents, prompting a more nuanced and reflective response.
        
        Negative Space
        
        While the photograph contains relatively little negative space, the minimal amount that is present serves a crucial role in directing the viewer's attention to key details, such as the central subject of the image and the expressions on the faces of the deceased individuals – the image emphasizes the importance of these elements, drawing the viewer's eye to them and encouraging a deeper level of engagement with the work.
        
        Our response
        
        Attar's record of the Iranian Revolution through these photographs reflects what was originally a struggle that supported the people, by the people, (the struggle of the "Other", that soon turned into a place of power where manipulated by Extremists. From his Note itself, this has been explicated with the lines "From that day, the revolution ceased to be mine" indicating this constant struggle between different groups in society. The purpose of the revolution was short-lived. Here, the Thesis = the people against the Antithesis, the Pahlavi Regime. The Synthesis, or the solution, proved to be the Theocratic regime change, though this again was only temporary until the fight now shifted to the people versus the Religiously extremist regime; an on-going issue that Iran deals with presently.
        
        Basic facts
        
        PM Abbas Hoveyda is Iran's longest serving Prime Minister, working under the rule of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
        
        The Pahlavi regime was met with public discontent largely due to its ideological foundations and the oppression that followed as a means of enforcing them. Claiming to be a strong ally of the West, the Pahlavi regime introduced economic reforms and encouraged modernisation, under the banner of the "White Revolution (1963)" which deeply affected rural Iranian communities, whose wealth and power was upended as a result of these change.
        
        The revolution saw its end with the Pahlavi regime overthrown and a new Theocratic regime established in its place. This regime was governed by religious principles that went strictly against Western ideologies and believed in the power of an Islamic-Republic
        
        In an attempt to eradicate any source of revolt against this new regime, the Iran Revolutionary Courts were established wherein secret and highly illegitimate trials were conducted, during which many politicians and people who supported the Pahlavi Regime were executed on religious grounds such as: waging war against God (“Moharebeh”), corruption on Earth (“Ifsad fel Arz”), and armed rebellion (“baghi”).
        
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- - - - Captions
        
        Tehran, Iran, 1979. After a demonstration in support of the constitution and prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar, a woman, believed to be a supporter of the shah, is mobbed by a revolutionary crowd.
      - Historical/Socio-political context
        
        SAVAK (Organization of National Security and Information), the Iranian secret police and intelligence service, were tasked with protecting the Pahlavi regime by arresting, torturing, and executing many dissidents.
- - - - The SAVAK forces were meant to protect the regime and its supporters, though the success of the revolution is marked in their failure to do so. In 4(B) we see the member walking away, without batting an eye to the woman at his feet, showing the selfish ignorance of the Pahlavi regime and their true intention to protect the elite alone.