Images and mechanisms of narrative construction in visual composition The artist Mahmoud Shubar is a sample

Abstract

The research titled "Narrative Images in the Works of the Iraqi Artist Mahmoud Shobber" addressed the concept of narrative as one of the concepts that art deals with in general, whether visual or literary, especially in the works of the Iraqi visual artist Mahmoud Shobber, whose works often depict a narrative and epic aspect.

The research consists of four chapters: the first chapter deals with the methodological framework of the research, which includes the introduction, the research problem summarized in the question "What are the images and mechanisms adopted by the artist Mahmoud Shobber in creating his artworks?" The research objective was to "identify the images and narrative construction mechanisms in visual art by the artist Mahmoud Shobber." The importance of the research lies in studying two artistic genres and the relationship between them, followed by the research boundaries and the definition of terms.

Chapter two deals with the theoretical framework that focuses on studying the concept of narrative, narrative construction mechanisms, the relationship between literary narration and visual narration, semiotic theory, and semantics. The research concluded with a set of indicators that assisted in analyzing the research sample. Moving on to chapter four, it discusses the research procedures, including the research community and sample. The researcher adopted a descriptive-analytical approach in analyzing the research sample consisting of three works. The research results were presented in chapter four, with one of the key findings being:

- The analysis of the research sample models shows that the artist Mahmoud Shabir tends to narrate his stories visually by resorting to the closed circular construction in order to focus on the image of the event and its dramatic details.

- The protagonist character and its symbolism occupy a large space within the pictorial surface and often take the center stage.

- The artist often resorts to simplification and reduction in forms in an attempt to focus on the central narrative event without being preoccupied with details that may distract the viewer and divert their gaze from the essence of the event, thus causing narrative dispersion.

- The artist tries to utilize language by introducing written texts and phrases on the pictorial surface as a way to blend visual and literary narration to enrich the reception aura and interpretive effectiveness.

- On the technical level, the artist relies on transitioning the brushstrokes between color surfaces and clear spaces to intermittent color touches at times, and spiral, curved touches at other times, in order to activate the visual narrative dynamism and move away from a state of stagnation that could potentially lead to a feeling of boredom. Here, the artist plays with brushstroke movement to create a comfortable visual rhythm for the eye on one hand, and carries its expressive connotations on the other hand. The research concludes with a list of sources and summaries.