The Battle of Ashura stands among the most consequential events in Shi’a history. In Iranian painting art-particularly contemporary art -it has received significant attention. Beyond performative arts such as Taazie (passion plays) and Naqqāli (epic storytelling), visual artists have engaged with symbols and colors, have taken steps to keep rituals alive and promote them through visual expression. Contemporary Iranian miniature painting (Negārgarī) has emerged as a highlight event for interpreting Ashura narratives. The Iranian Contemporary Miniature Biennale serves as a pivotal platform, systematically curating exemplary works nationwide every two years. This quantitative-qualitative study employs descriptive-analytical methods to examine Ashura-themed works across these different periods of biennale, addressing the central question: Which narrative aspects of Ashura dominate contemporary Iranian miniature depictions?Data was collected through archival research and field observation, with the statistical population comprising Ashura-themed works in different periods of the national miniature painting biennale. Findings reveal that contemporary miniature artists prioritize the depiction of sacred heroic figures, with ʿAbbās ibn ʿAlī (known as Hazrat-e Abolfazl) emerging as the most frequently represented person. His symbolic embodiment of chivalric sacrifice (futuwwat) accounts for the highest distribution of thematic content, underscoring his centrality in visual commemorations of Ashura. The works of the National Biennial of Iranian Painting show that during the different periods of the biennial, the representation of Ashura has evolved from descriptive narratives to symbolic expression, and artists have recreated the concepts of sacrifice and holiness in a connection between religious tradition and contemporary Iranian identity, relying on symbols such as horses, flags, green shawls, and avoiding direct portraits of the Imams.
The National Painting Biennial is a cultural-artistic event that brings together painting artists from all over Iran every two years to exhibit their magnificent works after judging. This biennial began in 1370 and, considering the welcome received by painters from all over Iran until 1401, eleven sessions have been held with different approaches. According to the present study, the subject of which is Ashura in different periods of the National Painting Biennial, in total, in eleven periods, the paintings that have entered the National Painting Biennial with the above theme are 27 paintings, and by eliminating 3 repeated paintings, the exact number of paintings reaches 24 works.
Considering the total number of paintings available in the National Painting Biennials, paintings with the theme of Ashura are divided into 7 sections: General narration of Ashura, Martyr, Imam Hussein (AS), Hazrat Abolfazl (AS), Hazrat Zaynab (SA), Hazrat Ali Asghar (AS), and Mr. Hur (AS).

The largest distribution of Ashura paintings in the works of the National Biennial of Painting is about Hazrat Abbas (AS). The subject of Ali Asghar (AS) has received the most attention of painters with the second priority. Considering this point, the subject of Hazrat Abbas (AS) and Ali Asghar (AS) has had more importance for painters or has been selected among other cases due to the greater impact of these two subjects on the audience. Also, in the process of works over several years (1370-1401), it can be seen that the early works of the biennial mostly dealt with the general subject of the narration of Ashura and the martyr and the narration of the story in a visual way, and more elements are seen in the illustrated works, but in the later works, they often paid attention to the characters of Ashura and dealt with the concepts, and due to greater symbolism, fewer elements are seen in the paintings. Hazrat Abolfazl (AS), who performed the most brave deeds in the way of God and followed the Imam's command, is shown as a symbol of the personality of a brave and holy hero, and the largest number of paintings are dedicated to him. The smallest number of works of Ashura painting is also related to the subject of Mr. Al-Harr. The painting of Mr. Al-Harr is a new subject that the painter has also paid attention to.



A study of the different periods of the National Biennial of Iranian Painting shows that most Ashura paintings use human figures. However, due to religious beliefs and the sanctity of depicting the faces of the infallible Imams (AS) in Islamic culture (except in coffeehouse paintings that depicted the faces of the Imams (AS) in full), most Ashura paintings refrain from depicting the faces of the Imams (AS). Of the animal elements, horses and birds are most commonly used in Ashura paintings. The horse, especially the winged one of Imam Hussein (AS), is a symbol of loyalty and courage, while birds (such as doves) are often symbols of freedom, the Holy Spirit, or divine messaging. Among inanimate elements, the flag, tent, and arrow are among the most commonly used symbols in Ashura paintings. The flag symbolizes resistance and perseverance, the tents represent the lives and families of the martyrs, and the arrows symbolize war and martyrdom. Also, plant elements such as the palm tree and natural elements such as rocks and rocks have been used in Ashura paintings. The palm tree symbolizes endurance and life, while rocks and rocks can represent hardships and obstacles on the path to truth. The representation of the Ashura event in contemporary art has evolved from narrative narratives to symbolic and conceptual expressions. By emphasizing figures such as Hazrat Abolfazl (AS) and Hazrat Ali Asghar (AS), using symbols such as horses, flags, green shawls, and avoiding direct portraits of the Imams (AS), painters have been able to recreate the concepts of sacrifice, holiness, and epic in an Iranian-Islamic format; which expresses the deep and lasting connection between the Shiite faith and beliefs of Muslims, the tradition of religious painting, and the cultural identity of today's Iran.