Fnon Al-Rafidayn Journal

This research examines the levels of communicative function of the puppet from a cultural perspective, employing a deductive scientific approach. The first chapter addresses the research problem, stemming from the limited approaches that have examined the puppet as a comprehensive cultural communicative phenomenon. It poses the question of how the puppet, as a cultural entity, has functioned in producing communication and conveying meaning throughout human history. The research aims to deduce the levels of communicative function of the puppet as a cultural medium, considering communication theories and the evolution of its cultural discourse throughout history. Its scope is defined by the open temporal framework and the limited spatial framework of the puppet globally throughout history, up to the present day. Objectively, it encompasses the puppet in its various types, forms, and sizes, considering its methods of production and uses throughout history, and its levels of communicative function from a cultural perspective. The second chapter presents the theoretical framework, defined by three ascending axes. It begins by establishing the concept of the puppet and the development of its cultural discourse, then moves to establishing its communicative dimension. The analysis then proceeded to examine the levels of the puppet's cultural function as a means of communication, in accordance with the theoretical nature of the research and the deductive method. The theoretical framework concluded with a set of theoretical indicators that established a knowledge base for deriving the research findings regarding the levels of communicative function of the puppet as a cultural medium. Among the most important findings were: 1- The puppet possesses a flexible communicative capacity, enabling it to function within multiple communication patterns (intrapersonal/direct/indirect, unidirectional/bidirectional, limited/unlimited, horizontal/vertical) determined by the cultural context and the nature of the reception. 2- The puppet can operate within the scope of limited communication linked to a specific cultural context, or within unlimited communication that allows for transcending narrow cultural boundaries, thus granting it the capacity for broad symbolic circulation. The research concluded with recommendations, conclusions, suggestions, and sources.

This research examines the study of (traditional techniques in Kurdish animation) within an analytical framework that combines artistic, aesthetic, and local cultural reference aspects. The research aims to identify the most important Kurdish traditional techniques and reveal the nature of these traditional techniques and how they are used in constructing movement and shaping visual elements within the artwork.
In the theoretical framework discussed in the first section, it covers (the concept of animation) and then moves to (the concept of traditional technique in art), discussing (the types of traditional techniques) in animation, such as hand-drawn animation, cut-out, paste, and stop motion. The second section provides (a historical overview) of the beginnings of traditional animation globally, reaching (Kurdish animation) through documentary analysis and the main techniques used.
The research results show that traditional techniques contribute to consolidating cultural identity within contemporary Kurdish animation.

Contemporary plastic practices have, since the 1960s, undergone profound transformations that have reconstituted the functional identity of the creative product. Art has been subsumed within the crucible of digital technologies, from which the domain of "Multimedia” has emerged. This study seeks to investigate " video art” as a foundational axis of this transformation, drawing upon the technical properties of image and temporality to generate an expressive language that transcends conventional modes of reception toward dynamic interactivity.
The research problem is articulated through examining how avant-garde artists - such as Nam June Paik, Dan Graham, and Bill Viola, among others - have harnessed technological developments (from portable cameras to virtual reality) to transform visual media into critical and existential instruments.
The study aims to analyze the structural and philosophical dimensions of this medium, while probing its capacity to bridge the divide between creativity and technology, with particular emphasis on the concept of "space-time", which reconfigures the artwork into a living experience grounded in feedback processes.
Furthermore, through a critical reading of applied models, the research aspires to explore the positioning of video art within the contemporary aesthetic landscape, and to examine the extent to which its hybrid language responds to socio-political transformations and contributes to the formation of collective consciousness.
The study concludes that video art constitutes a multidimensional medium that synthesizes digital aesthetics with conceptual discourse, affirming its role as an open field for deconstructing the boundaries between art, communication, and politics in light of accelerated epistemic developments.

Technological advancement and digital transformation have contributed to reshaping the relationship between traditional artistic styles and contemporary digital advertising. Interactive mechanisms are no longer merely aesthetic trends; rather, they have become effective tools within the digital advertising system. Advertisers now employ these mechanisms in a deliberate manner to achieve visual attraction, enhance user engagement, and deliver brand-related messages in a more impactful and innovative way.
This research aims to examine contemporary interactive mechanisms in digital advertising design by tracing modern artistic styles and analyzing their aesthetic, communicative, and psychological dimensions, as well as revealing their impact on the recipient in terms of perception, emotional response, and interactive participation.
The research consists of three chapters. The first chapter addresses the research methodology, where the research problem is represented by the following question: What are the contemporary interactive mechanisms in digital advertising design? The spatial boundaries are represented by advertisements of Coca-Cola Company published on the official website and across search engines and social media platforms. The temporal boundaries include the company's advertisements from the year 2023. The thematic scope focuses on contemporary interactive mechanisms in digital advertising design.
The second chapter discusses the theoretical framework related to contemporary artistic styles and their aesthetic, communicative, and psychological dimensions. The third chapter is devoted to research procedures, analysis of selected samples, and presentation of the study results.

The research entitled "Architectural Systems in Minimalist Art – An Analytical Study" consists of four chapters. The first chapter (Methodological Framework) includes the research problem, followed by an explanation of the research's significance, objectives, and limitations. It then defines key terms and poses the following questions: First: what architectural systems have been revealed in Minimalist art? Second: do these systems constitute a distinct aesthetic and conceptual dimension?
The second chapter (Theoretical Framework) comprises three sections: the first (Architectural Systems), the second (Architectural Systems in Painting), and the third (Minimalist Art), followed by a presentation of key indicators. After analyzing the sample in the third chapter (Research Procedures), the researcher arrives at a set of findings in the fourth chapter (Results and Discussion), including:
1. A clear presence of geometric structure and architectural organization in the construction of visual compositions, as the works rely on specific geometric shapes such as the rectangle, cube, triangle, and abstract lines.
2. The artworks interact with their surrounding environment. Light contributes to shaping the surrounding space, and glossy surfaces reflect the environment and scenes, while the outdoor sculptural work merges with the natural space.
Based on the above, the researcher reached several conclusions, including:
1. The system of repetition is heavily relied upon in minimalist architecture to achieve geometric visual rhythm.
2. The architecture of light and shadow plays a significant role in highlighting form and geometric structure. If natural light is present in outdoor spaces, it acts as an indirect driver through the perception of its shadows over time.
The researcher then presented recommendations and suggestions, followed by a list of References.

The world is currently witnessing a digital transformation across all aspects of life. One of the most prominent manifestations of this digital revolution is the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), a key innovation in contemporary technology. This rapid digital development has not been limited to the medical field or communications and information, but extends to artistic creativity. Its impact has reached theatrical arts in all its facets, including actors, with the use of robots and various technologies in directing, design, audience reception, and more. This is a result of the technological advancements surrounding us, which clearly and directly influence contemporary theatrical performance at all levels. Therefore, AI is considered one of the factors that has altered the rules of the directing process in terms of organizing, using, employing, and interpreting the elements of a performance. It plays a significant role in developing theatrical performance through the development of computer systems and electronic devices that operate with high efficiency, comparable to, and sometimes exceeding, that of an intelligent or expert human, especially in the technical field. Thus, AI constitutes the lifeblood of modern life, upon which humanity depends in all its movements, orientations, and cultural and artistic communication across the globe.
The use of artificial intelligence in contemporary theatrical performance stems from two main reasons: the search for a new artistic form and the desire to attract audiences accustomed to using these modern technologies in all aspects of their lives. This is achieved by conveying the intended message in two ways: by combining the traditional stage with digital technologies. Digital technology serves as an aesthetic and technical means of conveying the subject matter comprehensively, while also linking the directorial and design vision to the aesthetics of the theatrical performance. Artificial intelligence technologies have opened up numerous possibilities for theatrical art.

The research examines the essence of the photographic image and highlights its dominance in social life, as well as how it has evolved alongside rapid technological advancements worldwide. The researcher also emphasizes its importance in archiving and documenting real-time moments, considering several archived old models as samples for the study. The research analyzes their interaction in documentation and how they replace the narration of events in books and records, which deteriorate over time.
Additionally, the study explores the intersections of art with society, its role in depicting the environment, and the use of narrative elements across various art sectors (such as visual arts, cinema, and theater). This discussion underscores the significance of art in society in general and photography in particular.
Furthermore, the researcher addresses the theory of image analysis, emphasizing the importance of analysis in general to derive both positive and negative results from the study. Through this analysis, the researcher arrives at several positive findings that highlight the importance of the photographic image in art and society, which are explored throughout the research.

Erotic violence against women is considered a relatively alien phenomenon within Arab societies, despite its long-standing presence across various human communities. Although its treatment in literary and artistic discourse is relatively recent, this phenomenon has gradually expanded and become more visible, despite clear social, religious, and cultural rejection. It has increasingly taken a dangerous turn, necessitating in-depth study to identify its causes and to reveal its negative impacts on both the individual and society. From this perspective, theatre emerges as an effective artistic medium capable of raising awareness and influencing audiences by embodying sensitive social issues and presenting them to the public. Since violence and sexuality are behavioral aspects that require performative expression, their artistic representation depends on the act of performance itself as a direct expressive tool. Given that women are the primary social targets of this phenomenon, its theatrical embodiment relies on the actress as the objective counterpart for representing such behaviors. Accordingly, this study is directed toward examining the mechanisms of embodying erotic violence behaviors in the performance of the theatrical actress.
Based on the above, the research is structured into four chapters. The first chapter (Methodological Framework) includes the research problem, its significance, objectives, boundaries, and definitions of key terms. The second chapter (Theoretical Framework) consists of two sections: the first addresses the concept of erotic violence and its mechanisms of practice across various fields, while the second focuses on its manifestations in the performance of Western theatre actors, with particular emphasis on performative behaviors in general and on the theatrical actress in particular, leading to the extraction of theoretical indicators.
The third chapter (Research Procedures) outlines the research population and sample, represented by the theatrical performance “Wall,” adopting the descriptive-analytical method and using the derived indicators as a tool for analysis. The fourth chapter presents the research findings and conclusions, and the study concludes with a list of references.

Realism is described as one of the most important artistic methods and trends, serving as a significant influence on the global visual arts, and on Egyptian fine art in particular. Indeed, realism inspired Egyptian artists with selective concepts that took shape in parallel with modernity. This perspective is clearly reflected in contemporary Egyptian sculpture .
current study addressed in investigating “The Realist Tendency in Contemporary Egyptian Sculpture.” The sculptural works—through their references and controlling factors offer a coherent vision as a result of the integration between artistic and technical Performa This study is organized into four chapters. The first chapter addresses the research problem, which the study builds upon through the following: identifying the realist tendency in contemporary Egyptian sculpture, its most important references, and its representations and artistic and aesthetic characteristics. It also reviews the importance of the study and the need for it, as well as its limitations, which the researcher defined within the time period (1930–2015Ad) for contemporary Egyptian sculpture. In addition, the researcher established an operational definition of the basic conceptual terms included in the study
As for the second chapter, it includes previous studies and the theoretical framework, structured into three sections, as follows:
Section One: Realism in philosophical thought, based on two axes realism as a foundation, and ages of realism in thought and its impact on art, Section Two: Manifestations of reality in Egyptian civilization (the Paranoiac civilization), and Section Three: Features of realism in contemporary Egyptian sculpture.
The third chapter presents the research procedures through analyzing its samples, which consisted of (5) artworks that contributed to enriching the scope of the study through the descriptive-analytical approach. The fourth chapter includes the results, conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions. The results were derived from the analysis of the study samples in a manner that serves and achieves the objective of this study. The most important findings reached by the researcher were:
The shape of the body is the primary axis in the realism of contemporary Egyptian sculptures, as it clearly reveals the final discourse
Accordingly, the conclusions that emerged demonstrated the possibility of achieving the study’s objective. The researcher also endeavored to present the recommendations and suggestions, followed by the references and appendices.

More than a century has passed since the turning point of plastic art in Europe, marking its gradual entry into the world of modern art. The first signs of modern art emerged from the Salon des Refusés in 1863. The works exhibited there were met with intense criticism, accusations, and sarcasm from leading critics, and were rejected by most academic artists who had graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. These “rejected” works were considered a departure from convention, yet they later came to be recognized as the Impressionist movement, which paved the way for the emergence of modern art. This movement resembled a “snowball” that rolled from the Salon des Refusés, opening doors to various schools, movements, and tendencies that all fall under the umbrella of modern art.The denunciation once directed at Impressionist works finds a contemporary parallel today in attitudes toward the “descendants” of those modernist artworks, which remain confined within a “cage of isolation” in the perception of the general Arab audience, accused of strangeness and unfamiliarity. The sense of unfamiliarity adopted by modern art—once rejected—may, under favorable conditions, become appreciated in the future if the factors of acceptance are established.
In the view of the general audience in our societies today, modern artwork appears as an “encoded” image, unclear in its features and lacking the explicit interpretive meanings upon which this audience relies in appreciating art. Many artists attribute this sense of encoding to a fundamental barrier that obscures the shared grounds between the artist (as sender) and the viewer (as receiver).The researcher argues that the absence or elimination of shared references between artist and viewer constitutes a central dilemma that drives the audience to neglect modern artworks regardless of their creative value. The study concludes that this marginalization arises from two interrelated problematics:First: The Problematic of Interpretation, which relates to the viewer’s lack of motivation to seek the keys and tools of perception and conceptual understanding necessary to approach modern art within its cultural, social, and historical contexts.
Second: The Problematic of Reception, which concerns the motivational factors influencing how the general public receives modern artworks, particularly in the absence of cultural awareness regarding the role of plastic art in shaping cultural and social consciousness.The researcher maintains that reception is ultimately the outcome of effective interpretation, albeit varying according to differences in cultural, social, and cognitive perspectives. Accordingly, the study is titled:“Modern Art: The Problematic of Interpretation and the Problematic of Reception.”This research addresses the major contentious perceptions surrounding both the dilemma and the values of modern art. It also highlights the impact of transformations in the concept of modern art and its contemporary function. Modern painting does not offer a ready-made meaning; rather, it raises aesthetic and intellectual questions, making interpretation and reception two fundamental axes that jointly shape the contemplation and acceptance of the artwork.

This research explores the aesthetics of sketching within the realm of plastic arts, positioning it not merely as an pivotal element, but as the most vital departure for all artistic disciplines, for sketching, in its universal sense, constitutes the foundation of every creative endeavor.
The research commences (Chapter One) by defining the term “Aesthetics” from linguistic, terminological, procedural, and philosophical perspectives, then transitions to sketching as a process of translating mental perception into an objective form. The research problem arises in posing the question: aesthetic dimension of drawing manifested in the visual arts? What are the characteristics and aesthetic values that confer upon it artistic autonomy? Furthermore, how does the employment of its formal elements and plastic values contribute to the production of independent aesthetic expressions?"
(Chapter Two) examines the concept and the plastic foundations of the art of sketching, presenting the line as a visual element that bestows an expressive dimension: first, the concept of the art of sketching -in its simplest form; second, the plastic foundations of the art of sketching, incorporating the artist “Kazem Haidar” as a model; third, the aesthetics in the art of sketching- and the multiplicity of intellectual theories, noting this within the indicators of the theoretical framework—the structural basis within the artwork.
(Chapter Three) introduces the research population, which totaled thirty sketches, where the sample, consisting of four works, was analyzed in its aesthetic dimensions.
The results, emerged in (Chapter Four), affirming that the success of an artwork is inextricably linked to the clarity of its formal structure, regardless of color, followed by the list of references, the research conclusion, and the abstract in English.

This research explores invisible formulations in modern abstract art as a crucial aesthetic dimension in plastic discourse, emphasizing how modernist movements utilized them to enhance aesthetic contemplation. The study is structured into four chapters.
Chapter One establishes the research problem, centered on the question: What are the invisible formulations in modern abstract art? It details the study's importance, need, objectives (identifying these formulations), and defines key terms.
Chapter Two presents the theoretical framework and previous studies across two sections: the concept of the invisible form in the abstract movement, and abstraction between the ideal of beauty and images of the invisible. It concludes with framework indicators.
Chapter Three outlines the methodology, including the population, sample, tools, limits, and the analysis of three selected models.
Chapter Four presents the results and conclusions. Key results indicate that artists intentionally design invisible abstract forms with an expressive curve toward spontaneity and improvisation, opposing rigid geometric art. This creates irregular abstract forms in line, color, and expression to showcase free emotional affect. Furthermore, abstract formulations rely on a free rhythm to build unique, non-repeated formal structures in space.
The research concludes that modern art grants artists freedom for expressive, symbolic composition, offering expansive temporal and spatial horizons unconstrained by narrow social or intellectual frameworks. Finally, a list of sources and appendices is provided.

The research consists of four chapters. The first chapter addresses the research problem, its significance, the need for conducting the study, its objectives, scope, and the definition of the key terms employed. The research problem is formulated through the following question: To what extent was Oliver Rizzo able to achieve an aesthetic and intellectual balance between the spontaneity of street art and the rigor of formal artistic principles? The study aims to identify the aesthetics of graffiti art in the works of Oliver Rizzo.
The second chapter presents the theoretical framework, which comprises two sections. The first section examines the aesthetics of contemporary thought, while the second discusses the technical and aesthetic approaches to graffiti discourse. The third chapter outlines the research procedures, including the research population, sample, research instrument, methodology, and the analysis of the selected sample. The fourth chapter presents research findings, conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions.
Among the most significant findings is that Rizzo sought to impose order through the exercise of the will to power, drawing upon Nietzsche's philosophy by allowing the Apollonian spirit to assert itself over the chaotic Dionysian reality. In this perspective, the superior individual possesses the right to establish his own laws according to his personal vision.
The study also reached several conclusions, the most notable of which is that beauty is not an inherent attribute of the object itself. Rather, through the artist's freedom and conscious awareness, an alternative world is created, whose meaning is determined by each viewer. This transforms artistic discourse from rigidity into continuous renewal through the multiplicity of interpretations.