Portraits that value the human face as an identity have been a subject of art, in which various emotions are expressed. Portraits with artistic identity serve as a bridge from the past to the present. The expressionist art movement, which influenced the portrait art, depicts itself with great enthusiasm in the portraits of the Iranian artist. At the same time, these artists portrayed the trauma, melancholy and loneliness of their self. It is also possible to see that the mysterious spirit of the portrait comes to the fore as a subject and an element in a creative image with different feelings and emotions, especially in the paintings of women artists. In contemporary Iranian art, although women face problems such as pain, violence and gender discrimination in a patriarchal society, their presence in art activities and art biennials is an indication that women have an important role in the field of painting. While the works originally created focused on social issues such as gender inequalities and identity politics, aesthetically, the works of female artists of this period were created with careful visual considerations. This research examines the art understanding and features of Iranian portrait art. Accordingly, a rich literature review on the portraits of women in the paintings of Iranian contemporary women artists and her contributions to Iranian painting were examined. In addition, the functional features and importance of portraits in the works of these artists have been tried to be emphasized with this research.
Keywords: Iranian art, Portraits of women, Middle East, Mysterious Sufferings, contemporary art