A Semiotic Study and Analysis of the Archetype of the Tree of Life in Contemporary Iranian Graphics

The present study was conducted to investigate the semiotic archetype of the tree of life in contemporary Iranian graphic works. The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance and role of the archetype of the tree of life in contemporary Iranian graphics, which has been done with a semiotic approach and the study of myths related to Iranian culture. Library and interview methods were used to collect data. For this purpose, in addition to studying the relevant documents, in-depth interviews were conducted with experts in this field. The method of data collection in this study was interview. Interview findings were analyzed based on theme analysis. Based on this, our findings show that based on the codifications, the concept of the tree of life has been used in ۲۱ categories and ۷ main concepts. These concepts include eternity, death and life, connection to the other world, light, the importance of worldly life, the myth of life, and the myth of creation. The results of this study show that the tree of life in the works of contemporary Iranian graphic artists has been related to their religious, spiritual and historical beliefs, and what has made contemporary Iranian graphic works a meaningful symbol is its value and meaning in relation to concepts. It has been fertility, fertility and childbirth. Even the appearance of animal symbols, celestial bodies, and goddesses, along with this archetype, contains the concept of fertility. Although not all manifestations of tree idols in contemporary Iranian graphics are merely related to the concept of the tree of life, but the use of common imagination between artists and of course the distance from diversity, has caused artists in this field the historical, spiritual and cultural contribution of this element as a symbol on the contemporary graphic art of Iran.