Behzad Shishegaran
Audio of the Entire Interview
Interview Transcript
Part 1 & 2
Translate by: Sumaya Saikali
Behzad Shishegaran
I was born in Tehran. my childhood days were spent in Khosh avenue. I lived in a neighborhood where once we opened our front door, nothing but arid land was before us, I sat & played with mud & walnuts & scraps of wood & marble glass balls & anything I could lay my hands on & I was totally blissful.
My father was a firearm craftsman. He was technically gifted & people brought their record-players to be repaired at my father’s shop. At times he would bring home one of those record-player & play music for us. Naturally we children followed his inclination to like & listen to music. He liked to listen to Qamar, Delkash, Marzieh, Golpayegany & Iraj.
When I finished my elementary school I decided to enroll for music & wanted to major in violin. I searched & found the Music College & took my credentials to the head-master, once he looked into it he told me, I am not qualified to enter the college due to my age, despite the fact that I told him I’m willing to enroll for a year below my qualifications. He explained that the college had age-restrictions & since I was a year older could no longer start my secondary studies at the Music College.
It was a great disappointment to me & as I was walking back & thinking to myself I made the decision to pick painting as my higher learning education, since before even thinking about music, I ranked among students who were very gifted in painting, especially since my biology teacher, Mr Keshavarz, always encouraged me & liked all the big color drawings 100 x 70 I’d made of anatomy figures with all the detailed diagrams of the human body that I brought into class which he used for elaborating the lessons he taught. He loved & was most appreciative of my painting diagrams that I enlarged from our books. His attitude & encouragements were a great incentive for me to finally chose art for my higher studies
Shishegaran – portraits 2
The reason for my portrait paintings of celebrities, both Iranian & world-wide figures is based mainly on the significance of their
social, political and cultural/literary status & valued contribution. My foremost objective is in relation to their established status,
if I do not correspond to that realm I can in no way get the incentive & feeling to create my work. In actual fact, there must
always be a certain factor that may influence me so that I once I am impressed & inspired then I begin my work.
Between the years 1981 & 1989 I did a wide range of portrait paintings & sketches. These collections of my works were never
displayed in public at the time, and I wished to actually share this experience that I had acquired over the years, with a subject
matter that appealed to me as well as the general public, I felt the need to exhibit them. I concluded that Takhty lived up to
those merits, currently if you search in the internet, you end up with huge amounts of his pictures, but at the time there were no
such facilities. I began collecting pictures & photos of Takhty. I went to different places, especial locations that I was bound to
find his photos, for instance public baths, butchers, bakers, even I went by a place where I saw a shoe-repair man working and
polishing shoes on the side-street with a picture of Takhty pinned above his head. I was really moved by this, I asked if I could
borrow that picture so as to get a duplicate for it & return it once I’d finished my work & the man kindly agreed for me to have
access to that picture.
Each of these pictures gave me certain inspirations, and I wondered as by which material I should set out to create my work,
whether I should paint with my fingers, or with charcoal, whatever medium inspired me most, I would begin to work on the
subject. It was the 22nd death anniversary of Takhty & I was planning the project for 17th Day 1368 (January, 1989) and I had
not sufficient time and yet I wanted it to be arranged for that exact period. As I woke up in the morning, I literally worked non
stop to the following morning. It was 23 hrs of constant work every day. I had made up my mind to complete & create one
portrait on each & every day so as to meet my deadline for the exhibition I had set my mind to achieve. So that I would have at
least produced 30 portraits during the one and a half months that I had set for that project. And this was done, which together
with the poster I made for the exhibition there were 31 works that were displayed on the date of Takhty’s 22nd death
anniversary. I can truly admit that numerous people from all walks of life, authors, poets, reporters celebrities and artists,
political figure-heads, social activists, sportsmen & ordinary citizens from the neighborhoods & bazaar & industrialists all
attended the show.
The event was met with great enthusiasm by artists & eminent people who visited the premises & the two-week long exhibition
was packed with visitors every day. At the time I had focused to draw sketches of Takhty hence the portraits though diversified
in medium, material & style were solely sketch-drawings of the national hero. My entire outlook & scrutiny of the subject
matter was from this angle at the time. However, today I have reached a different perspective & have come to combine my world
of painting & sketch-drawing with a more contemporary concept & astute observation, so as to do full homage to the character
sketch of Takhty.
I was also working on the portraits of Shamlou since the year 1370, then on one morning on 1379, as I got up I heard on the
news that Shamlou had passed away in his home. From that day, I truly regretted the fact that I had not been able to carry out
my goal of exhibiting the portraits that I had made of Shamlou during his life-time. I put all my works aside & took up my plan
to just focus on painting Shamlou. It took me again one and half months to prepare my exhibition of Shamlou’s portraits. So
that with three posters prepared for this exhibition I managed to create 45 paintings which were all arrayed at the Barg Gallery
in Tehran and was met with extraordinary acclaim by the general public, and artists together with top literary & elite members of
the Iranian society. Shamlou is a most gifted & diversified personality, being a poet, author, translator, critique & commentator.
As such my task to do credit to the incredible & unique talents of this multi-faceted personality, in outlining his characteristics
visa-vis his career was of tremendous challenge, hence I had to chose the appropriate material & artistic approach so as to
convey Shamlou’s poignant character/personality & his outstanding works.
Normally I chose different mediums, and even change my style so as to express my work in an effort to get into harmony with
my subject matter. And I start with my new approach and this sometimes fulfills my goal or at times I find it not quite right so I
alter my work in the process. In the midst of all my experiments if I am satisfied with the result I continue with my work, but if
otherwise the I change my material & work until I get the desired result. I never tire of work. I am never afraid of making
mistakes, I love my freedom to explore & achieve new dimensions in my work.
In my opinion there are endless ways to observe & sketch portraits of a singular subject or figure. During the four decades that
I have constantly done research & studies in art & painting I have reached this conclusion that one must continuously observe
from all angles time & time again & sketch & paint so as to get the desired creation.
Produced in Arteh Box Net Winter 1394
On Wednesday, August 7, 2019, 8:29:40 PM GMT+4:30, sumaya saikali <freeawill@yahoo.com> wrote:
Shishegaran – portraits 2
The reason for my portrait paintings of celebrities, both Iranian & world-wide figures is based mainly on the significance of their
social, political and cultural/literary status & valued contribution. My foremost objective is in relation to their established status,
if I do not correspond to that realm I can in no way get the incentive & feeling to create my work. In actual fact, there must
always be a certain factor that may influence me so that I once I am impressed & inspired then I begin my work.
Between the years 1981 & 1989 I did a wide range of portrait paintings & sketches. These collections of my works were never
displayed in public at the time, and I wished to actually share this experience that I had acquired over the years, with a subject
matter that appealed to me as well as the general public, I felt the need to exhibit them. I concluded that Takhty lived up to
those merits, currently if you search in the internet, you end up with huge amounts of his pictures, but at the time there were no
such facilities. I began collecting pictures & photos of Takhty. I went to different places, especial locations that I was bound to
find his photos, for instance public baths, butchers, bakers, even I went by a place where I saw a shoe-repair man working and
polishing shoes on the side-street with a picture of Takhty pinned above his head. I was really moved by this, I asked if I could
borrow that picture so as to get a duplicate for it & return it once I’d finished my work & the man kindly agreed for me to have
access to that picture.
Each of these pictures gave me certain inspirations, and I wondered as by which material I should set out to create my work,
whether I should paint with my fingers, or with charcoal, whatever medium inspired me most, I would begin to work on the
subject. It was the 22nd death anniversary of Takhty & I was planning the project for 17th Day 1368 (January, 1989) and I had
not sufficient time and yet I wanted it to be arranged for that exact period. As I woke up in the morning, I literally worked non
stop to the following morning. It was 23 hrs of constant work every day. I had made up my mind to complete & create one
portrait on each & every day so as to meet my deadline for the exhibition I had set my mind to achieve. So that I would have at
least produced 30 portraits during the one and a half months that I had set for that project. And this was done, which together
with the poster I made for the exhibition there were 31 works that were displayed on the date of Takhty’s 22nd death
anniversary. I can truly admit that numerous people from all walks of life, authors, poets, reporters celebrities and artists,
political figure-heads, social activists, sportsmen & ordinary citizens from the neighborhoods & bazaar & industrialists all
attended the show.
The event was met with great enthusiasm by artists & eminent people who visited the premises & the two-week long exhibition
was packed with visitors every day. At the time I had focused to draw sketches of Takhty hence the portraits though diversified
in medium, material & style were solely sketch-drawings of the national hero. My entire outlook & scrutiny of the subject
matter was from this angle at the time. However, today I have reached a different perspective & have come to combine my world
of painting & sketch-drawing with a more contemporary concept & astute observation, so as to do full homage to the character
sketch of Takhty.
I was also working on the portraits of Shamlou since the year 1370, then on one morning on 1379, as I got up I heard on the
news that Shamlou had passed away in his home. From that day, I truly regretted the fact that I had not been able to carry out
my goal of exhibiting the portraits that I had made of Shamlou during his life-time. I put all my works aside & took up my plan
to just focus on painting Shamlou. It took me again one and half months to prepare my exhibition of Shamlou’s portraits. So
that with three posters prepared for this exhibition I managed to create 45 paintings which were all arrayed at the Barg Gallery
in Tehran and was met with extraordinary acclaim by the general public, and artists together with top literary & elite members of
the Iranian society. Shamlou is a most gifted & diversified personality, being a poet, author, translator, critique & commentator.
As such my task to do credit to the incredible & unique talents of this multi-faceted personality, in outlining his characteristics
visa-vis his career was of tremendous challenge, hence I had to chose the appropriate material & artistic approach so as to
convey Shamlou’s poignant character/personality & his outstanding works.
Normally I chose different mediums, and even change my style so as to express my work in an effort to get into harmony with
my subject matter. And I start with my new approach and this sometimes fulfills my goal or at times I find it not quite right so I
alter my work in the process. In the midst of all my experiments if I am satisfied with the result I continue with my work, but if
otherwise the I change my material & work until I get the desired result. I never tire of work. I am never afraid of making
mistakes, I love my freedom to explore & achieve new dimensions in my work.
In my opinion there are endless ways to observe & sketch portraits of a singular subject or figure. During the four decades that
I have constantly done research & studies in art & painting I have reached this conclusion that one must continuously observe
from all angles time & time again & sketch & paint so as to get the desired creation.
Produced in Arteh Box Net Winter 1394
To look at a subject, from an angle but expressing it via different materials & potentials, is a characteristic I
acquired from the early days of my student years. But whenever you resort to alternative materials, your subject matter takes
on a different expression according to the media by which you are expressing it. Just as when you change your color then great
difference occurs, even when you introduce alternate patterns in your composition, again enormous change is achieved. And I
have endeavored to experiment & aim at creating a series of paintings from one subject matter, through different materials &
medias in an attempt to introduce variations and systematic outlook from different approach to a single subject matter. In other
words. sketches or paintings in different style.
At the time, when I first introduced the objective of variations in my works for my exhibition in 1993, it was substantially as
though these figures (people) were actually set in a single frame, despite the fact that they appeared in groups, as such
although the result would show rows & rows of a group of figures (people) but they were each singled out for being in a set
frame all alone. My intention was, precisely pointed out to the fact that people in general though in a community, are normally
isolated as each person stands out for his unique personality. For example you have tens of families living in different flats in a
residential compound, and yet you find each person just comes home & puts the key to its front door, & at the utmost utters a
mere hello or goodbye to its neighbors and that is the end of communication. We are all isolated beings living in a community
That was exactly what I was trying to express through that exhibition. Perhaps now it is about 15 to 16 years, that the
computer came into my work just as another material for expression like my painting brush. I tried to make the best of this as
a utensil for my work, which in itself has extensive potentials. It is a media that belongs to my age, it is part of the age we’re
living in. Many of my works are wholly created by hand at first, and at times when I feel the need for further enhancement I mix
it with the facilities at hand on my computer & achieve my desired effect by implementing further possibilities to my work &
creation by that media.
I was working on a subject for an exhibition when suddenly it was announced that the US had invaded Iraq, and this news had
such an impact on the world, as well as our very society. At the time, I immediately decided to focus on this subject that had
brought such a rampage & stressful condition across the world, for my work &began to portray the stressful & war-torn figure
with water-color and then I brought that sketch into the computer, I managed to create at least thirty paintings from the different
variations I got from the forlorn & disturbed war-stricken figure that I ha painted. Paintings in which this figure is portrayed but
not in the same form or color but in many variations.
In 2010, Tehran went through over eighty days of tremendous up-heaval, the radio & television constantly reminded parents to
stop their children & youths from coming out into the city, schools, universities and sports complexes were all shut down & in
general a most disconcerting atmosphere reigned over the capital. At this precise time I decided to make this very issue of air
pollution as my subject for my exhibition.
I began working, but in the process of my work I got a very bad cough.and I was eagernot to be indifferent to this issue, and got
to work on this topic despite my poor health condition, as a result I managed to procure over 20 paintings titled Tehran in
delirium , again some of those paintings were created by hand while others were implemented with computer techniques, and in
the period of one & half months I managed to set up this exhibition.
In recent years, I have done more abstract works, but these abstracts are portraying our society, as you take on an over-all
glimpse at our society, you observe that the atmosphere is fragmented, and fractured nothing appears to be at a stand-still, a
certain pace merging into commotion.
Calligraphy introduced as a visual element has come into my recent works since 6 to seven years ago, it is a calligraphy that
takes its source from our history & culture, and I use it in my works, and while the observer thinks these to be a writing & script
of a kind, but on closer scrutiny they realize it is not an actual writing. My stylish calligraphic paintings have taken theirs roots
from all my research that I have made on our ancient history & even miniature painting. My efforts have been to retrieve from our
past & turn it into our contemporary life-style & demand. I have my graphic outlook toward these. I have my artistic insight
toward these. I have my graphic & painting approach to these & I have done deep research on our miniature paintings and have
had in mind the history of our calligraphy & painting heritage, especially my studying the use of color in our miniature paintings
have inspired me in my own paintings, those wonderful yellows & blue, reds & light brown intonations and all these are derived
from the rich colors of our miniature which have influenced my contemporary paintings.
My personality in general has been established on hope.All my pursuits in life throughout all these years take their roots in
hope. I love life very much, with all the difficulties & challenges of life I still adore life. I have even enjoyed all the difficulties &
trials that life has given me & even now I confront whatever mishap & hardship I am up against with contentment, I regard this
as the essence of life, a life with no difficulty has no significance what-soever. Life without high & low is meaningless. And I can
honestly claim that life to me, together with all that involves in i,t has always been worthwhile, something worth cherishing. I
accept all its ebb & flows & my outlook to life as such makes me a very hopeful man. (Bless you).
To look at a subject, from an angle but expressing it via different materials & potentials, is a characteristic I
acquired from the early days of my student years. But whenever you resort to alternative materials, your subject matter takes
on a different expression according to the media by which you are expressing it. Just as when you change your color then great
difference occurs, even when you introduce alternate patterns in your composition, again enormous change is achieved. And I
have endeavored to experiment & aim at creating a series of paintings from one subject matter, through different materials &
medias in an attempt to introduce variations and systematic outlook from different approach to a single subject matter. In other
words. sketches or paintings in different style.
At the time, when I first introduced the objective of variations in my works for my exhibition in 1993, it was substantially as
though these figures (people) were actually set in a single frame, despite the fact that they appeared in groups, as such
although the result would show rows & rows of a group of figures (people) but they were each singled out for being in a set
frame all alone. My intention was, precisely pointed out to the fact that people in general though in a community, are normally
isolated as each person stands out for his unique personality. For example you have tens of families living in different flats in a
residential compound, and yet you find each person just comes home & puts the key to its front door, & at the utmost utters a
mere hello or goodbye to its neighbors and that is the end of communication. We are all isolated beings living in a community
That was exactly what I was trying to express through that exhibition. Perhaps now it is about 15 to 16 years, that the
computer came into my work just as another material for expression like my painting brush. I tried to make the best of this as
a utensil for my work, which in itself has extensive potentials. It is a media that belongs to my age, it is part of the age we’re
living in. Many of my works are wholly created by hand at first, and at times when I feel the need for further enhancement I mix
it with the facilities at hand on my computer & achieve my desired effect by implementing further possibilities to my work &
creation by that media.
I was working on a subject for an exhibition when suddenly it was announced that the US had invaded Iraq, and this news had
such an impact on the world, as well as our very society. At the time, I immediately decided to focus on this subject that had
brought such a rampage & stressful condition across the world, for my work &began to portray the stressful & war-torn figure
with water-color and then I brought that sketch into the computer, I managed to create at least thirty paintings from the different
variations I got from the forlorn & disturbed war-stricken figure that I ha painted. Paintings in which this figure is portrayed but
not in the same form or color but in many variations.
In 2010, Tehran went through over eighty days of tremendous up-heaval, the radio & television constantly reminded parents to
stop their children & youths from coming out into the city, schools, universities and sports complexes were all shut down & in
general a most disconcerting atmosphere reigned over the capital. At this precise time I decided to make this very issue of air
pollution as my subject for my exhibition.
I began working, but in the process of my work I got a very bad cough.and I was eagernot to be indifferent to this issue, and got
to work on this topic despite my poor health condition, as a result I managed to procure over 20 paintings titled Tehran in
delirium , again some of those paintings were created by hand while others were implemented with computer techniques, and in
the period of one & half months I managed to set up this exhibition.
In recent years, I have done more abstract works, but these abstracts are portraying our society, as you take on an over-all
glimpse at our society, you observe that the atmosphere is fragmented, and fractured nothing appears to be at a stand-still, a
certain pace merging into commotion.
Calligraphy introduced as a visual element has come into my recent works since 6 to seven years ago, it is a calligraphy that
takes its source from our history & culture, and I use it in my works, and while the observer thinks these to be a writing & script
of a kind, but on closer scrutiny they realize it is not an actual writing. My stylish calligraphic paintings have taken theirs roots
from all my research that I have made on our ancient history & even miniature painting. My efforts have been to retrieve from our
past & turn it into our contemporary life-style & demand. I have my graphic outlook toward these. I have my artistic insight
toward these. I have my graphic & painting approach to these & I have done deep research on our miniature paintings and have
had in mind the history of our calligraphy & painting heritage, especially my studying the use of color in our miniature paintings
have inspired me in my own paintings, those wonderful yellows & blue, reds & light brown intonations and all these are derived
from the rich colors of our miniature which have influenced my contemporary paintings.
My personality in general has been established on hope.All my pursuits in life throughout all these years take their roots in
hope. I love life very much, with all the difficulties & challenges of life I still adore life. I have even enjoyed all the difficulties &
trials that life has given me & even now I confront whatever mishap & hardship I am up against with contentment, I regard this
as the essence of life, a life with no difficulty has no significance what-soever. Life without high & low is meaningless. And I can
honestly claim that life to me, together with all that involves in i,t has always been worthwhile, something worth cherishing. I
accept all its ebb & flows & my outlook to life as such makes me a very hopeful man. (Bless you).