The importance of the tree symbol in Iran culture and art and its impact on the works of contemporary Iranian artists

The archetype of the tree has an important place in the ancient myths of various nations, with features such as fertility, rebirth, immortality and upward growth, always associated with concepts such as holiness, relationship with God and immortality. It is known that in ancient Asia the worship of trees was more common than rivers, mountains and other elements of nature. It is seen that the tree image is one of the main motifs of art in the Iranian region from prehistoric times to the Sassanids. In addition, since the cypress tree symbolizes the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda, the "Hum" tree symbolizes creation, the tree with seven branches of life, the notion that the tree is the house of the Gods is very important in Persian mythology and Zoroastrianism. The presence of trees in various arts such as pottery, painting, mosaic and carpet weaving is very common in post-Islamic Iran. This research examines the mythological, mystical and especially artistic backgrounds and determines the existence of the tree in the historical process of contemporary Iranian art with references. From this point of view, the works of artists who use the tree image as a symbol in Contemporary Iranian art from the 1950s to the present will be mentioned. For many artists, including prominent artists such as Abbas Kiarostami, Sohrab Sepehri and Davood Emdadian, the tree image remains a source of inspiration. While the concept of tree in all these works has deep roots in Iranian culture and art, it has changed with a new perspective in order to return to nature, which is affected by the confusion and loneliness of contemporary man in the modern age. The contemporary artist tries to return to his own essence and true self by appealing to the tree and its sacred and eternal energy. In this transformation, the traces of social, cultural and political effects revealed by current data will be questioned.