Aneh Mohammad Tatari
Audio of the Entire Interview
Interview Transcript
Part 01
An Interview with Anneh Mohammad Tatari
Childhood, Education, Entering to Teachers College
I am born in 1956. Since my father was too young to receive an identity card for me
a year after my birth, my identity card was issued
for this reason my birth year is recorded in 1957
My father was a simple worker for this reason life was not easy so much
My mother was a carpet weaver and in the process of her job
she was obliged to dye and also to design the Turkman sketches
Her designing was very masterly and she had a few trainees
The trainees were working freely, against what they were learning
they collaborated in wearing the carpet as the result the carpet which was on the loom
was completed sooner, of course I was working along with them
Those days when the children talked of the events of their school
and their assignments the passion of going to school flamed in my heart
and their assignments the passion of going to school flamed in my heart
I implored my mother to send me to school
I implored my mother to send me to school
I implored my mother to send me to school
but she told me that you are not at the age that I can enroll you in the school
but she told me that you are not at the age that I can enroll you in the school
you should wait two or three years more
I insisted her and at length she accepted to take me to school
I insisted her and at length she accepted to take me to school
The principal of the school told my mother we have no place for him
The principal of the school told my mother we have no place for him
I started to cry and when the principal saw my eagerness, accepted me in a class with 40 students
and I am told since all the benches are occupied a stool would be
placed in front of the class between the two rows of the benches
and you can sit on it without any fidgety. I replied: “I will do as you wish.”
Painting started from the years of school
We smeared a piece of paper with oil and placed it on the printed book
and reprint them on the paper
It was my homework
The letters were located on its right place and reading such reprinting was very easy
and our teacher appreciated me by saying you have well done
Then in the next year I went in the same class and again another year after that
and at length I passed the first class of the primary school after three years
Later I understood that I have been a free auditing student
I believe those years were one of the most pleasant days; for I was learning many things
I have beautiful reminiscence from the days that
I was in the grade five of primary school
One day our teacher drew the picture of a flower on the black board
and I drew it on the paper and when my fellow students saw my painting one by one they asked me
to draw the same flower for them the number of the students of our class
was 27 and I drew 27 flowers for them
All the flowers were similar to each other
Our teacher checked the papers and grades them and when he was checking my paper he said:
“Come here, I must talk to you.”
On the spot he found out what is the case. I asked him: “What has happened?”
Our teacher punished me he beat me with a stick on my palm
thereafter I never forget that physical punishment
I remember in the sixth grade
my hand writing had been rendered to drawing picture
namely I draw rather than writing
For instance, when I want to write an orange trader is selling his oranges
I draw the picture of a man who was selling orange
In fact, I was playing through drawing
Finally, I remember we enrolled in the first grade of secondary school
we had an illustrative pictorial text book under the title of Elm-ol-Ahsia (the knowledge of things)
In this book by the help of illustration we were taught how a plant grows
Our teacher insisted to draw those illustrations to learn better
and emphasized that we should not copy them
namely we were not permitted to place the paper on the printed illustrations
I had drawn those illustrations, but our teacher insisted that all these illustrations are copied
I resisted and said: “I have not copied them.”
At length I placed my paper on the page of the book
and our teacher amazingly saw that the dimensions of my outlines is a little bigger than the book
Gradually pencil turned to a weapon for me; owing to the fact that I draw everything with pencil
We had a cow and a sheep
Selling milk of cow was a means of earning income
My mother – may be happy her soul – milked the cow and sell it to various shops
I was my mother’s assistant, her secretary
When she wanted to bake bread in the oven I was at her side
I prepare firewood for her
When she wanted to milk the cow, I was at her side
I sold apple, cucumber, melon, ice cream and so on
When I was in the third grade of secondary school
our family financial condition was very poor
I felt I must do something to overcome this problem
I felt I must do something to overcome this problem
I planned to attend in the teachers training college
I planned to attend in the teachers training college
I told my father that I plan to go to Sari (center of Mazandaran province)
to participate in the entering examination of the college
He said Sari is very far from here, before it I had never stepped out of Gonbad (my birth place)
Then my mother furtively gave me 20 Toomans (Tooman is Iran monetary unit)
and I got a bus that every early day left Gomishan bus stop for Sari
Before it I had asked about the time of the departure of bus
I am told at 4 A.M. the bus leaves the bus stop
My mother waked me in the midnight and told me this is your money
and this is the pack of your food
go and take that bus
In the bus I encountered my uncle
he was accompanying his daughter
Parents of all the children were accompanying them
and I was the only lonely boy and it was the first time that I was leaving my birth place
When we reached Sari, I am told here is Sari
you must leave the bus
I know nowhere to go
Fist I found a park; in front of the park there was a hostel
Fist I found a park; in front of the park there was a hostel
I went in and among the other boys I found a bed to sleep
I went in and among the other boys I found a bed to sleep
After having the food that my mother had packed for me
I left the hostel to attend in the examination
I attended and returned to Gonbad
When the list of those who were succeeded in the entering examination was announced
When the list of those who were succeeded in the entering examination was announced
I found out that my name is not in the list
I found out that my name is not in the list
Therefore, I enrolled in the 10th grade of high school
One day from the office of the school
someone summoned me and informed me that I have passed
the entering examination for teachers training college successfully
Since they have written the names with marker they have recorded wrongly my family name
Sixteen days have been passed from the starting points of the classes of the college
I am asked: “Would you like to attend in the classes?”
I replied that attending the classes is the culmination of my aspiration
Half of the big baggage that my mother had prepared for me was filled with food stuff
We left Gonbad for Aq-qala
We left Gonbad for Aq-qala
I have no knowledge of this city
I have no knowledge of this city
In Aq-qala the driver said to my mother she must return to
Gonbad because they themselves will send me to the college
My mother sorrowfully looked at me and asked me: “Are you going to leave me?”
I felt how much gloomy is bidding farewell to mother!
The car which was taking me to Sari was an Italian Fiat
I placed my baggage in the boot of the car
I bid farewell to my mother
and after an hour and half we reached Sari- now the road is paved and asphalted
and within circa 20 minutes one can drive the same distance
I stepped in the college and found out that all the students are present in the classes
I introduce myself and they sent me to upstairs to a dormitory
They told me wash your face and rest for a while
Indeed, I was very young only 14 years old
And in this way I was attended the college classes
I remember in the second year of the college someone was painting with oil colored
He was copying a tableau very beautifully and masterly
I was looking him with appreciation
The theme of tableau was an orchard with a guzzle
He was painting skillfully
I was astounding
I used to paint black and white
When I returned Gonbad
on the spot I bought 3 brushes and pigments of various colors
My first model was my mother
She was weaving carpet and I sat in front of her and started to paint
The primary design was very good
The primary design was very good
but as soon as I started to use pigment everything was spoiled
but as soon as I started to use pigment everything was spoiled
What is your greatest aspiration?
The greatest aspiration that have cherished in my bosom is to be a great painter
Being artist was my greatest aspiration
Part 02
An Interview with Anneh Mohammad Tatari
Teaching in Training Teachers College
I was recently graduated from the college
I returned Gonbad to help my father
I worked with him, namely I was an errand boy
I was working in the shop
By the ending of summer holidays and beginning the new educational year
I returned to college to teach designing and painting
besides it I taught solfege
the essentials of music theory including tonality, tempo, rhythm and so on
Sometime I held the ceremony of mourning for Imam Hussein and sometimes I sung dirge
as a whole I performed all the artistic activities for the students of the grade one of the college
After receiving diploma of high school
I enlisted to pass the course of military service and
I joined to a corps was named educational corps or corps of knowledge
In this course I followed the same processes of college namely at night
In this course I followed the same processes of college namely at night
I used to paint and design and my models were the old local men
I used to paint and design and my models were the old local men
and I followed my education to receive a classical diploma
and I followed my education to receive a classical diploma
because the diploma of the teacher training college was not a complete one
because the diploma of the teacher training college was not a complete one
because the diploma of the teacher training college was not a complete one
therefor I studied only 25 days and took part in an examination
therefor I studied only 25 days and took part in an examination
therefor I studied only 25 days and took part in an examination
and formally I received my diploma in literature branch
and formally I received my diploma in literature branch
and formally I received my diploma in literature branch
Before joining the university, I worked as a teacher for 14 or 15 years in various schools
Before joining the university, I worked as a teacher for 14 or 15 years in various schools
Then I married
After marriage I stick to painting more than before
I assiduously follow the art of painting
I had received some experiences in oil painting
My wife ceaselessly complained that all my life has been devoted to painting
indeed she was right
I showed the least interest in anything but painting as if all
my life was limited to two issues: teaching and painting
Every day after coming back home
Every day after coming back home
I went directly to my atelier which was placed at the end of our bedroom
I went directly to my atelier which was placed at the end of our bedroom
I went directly to my atelier which was placed at the end of our bedroom
I used to pin cart board or canvass to the wall and started to work
I used to pin cart board or canvass to the wall and started to work
As a whole my works were not very attractive some of them were beautiful and I like them
My criterion of my works was my own view
My criterion of my works was my own view
If I did not like any work, people did not like too and vice versa
and whatever I like, people like too
If I did not like any work, people did not like too and vice versa
and whatever I like, people like too
At the mean times someone – a man who had an exact understanding
of art gave me a book that allocated to the works of Renaissance
Among them there was one of the works of Caravaggio
I was astounding by browsing in the pages of this book
I do not know what was his painting brush! How he had worked?
Once a work was entrusted to me that I had rent my house
I was indebted awfully and the condition of financial issue was not good at all
For the sake of this poor condition
I chose to go to the border of Turkmenistan to work there as a teacher
Among the books and various papers
Among the books and various papers
I found a tableau which was the work of Shishkin
I found a tableau which was the work of Shishkin
the Russian artist, the theme of his work was a landscape
I looked thoughtfully into it and finally after a long contemplation
I found out how Shishkin had worked
He had worked plan after plan
Like the work of Chinese artist that we see now
this one possesses three plans
Shishkin too had worked plan after plan
In this way I discovered the secret of painting a landscape
and it seemed to me the easiest one
Then gradually I chose a plan for myself
at nights I was designing and in the morning I devoted all my hours to painting
When the years of teaching reached to 14
I returned from the border Turkmenistan to Gonbad
I made decision to follow my studies in Tehran, the capital city
I studied all the books related to the university entering examination most of these books were used
Some of them were published by the art college
and some other were the publication of other publishers
Since I had a good experience in designing and painting
they seemed to me very primitive
There was a close relation between my fingers and the brush as
if pencil moved on the papers involuntary but very masterly
and I employed pencil professionally
The capacity of university of Art was 8 persons and my grade was 15
therefore I attended in Azad (open) university
My grade in Open University was 30 and I was accepted there
of course I tried the Tehran University too, but I did not succeed
I entered the Open University and I started to work
Whatever I showed to my master
he took a look at it and used to say: “It is a garbage cast it in the dustbin or tear it off.”
Nevertheless, I never lost my hope and I was working full time from dawn to down
Once I was teacher for 14 years and I plan to be a teacher too
With great difficulty I found a small house in Tehran
With great difficulty I found a small house in Tehran
in Imam Hussein quarter
in Imam Hussein quarter
because wherever I went I was told that they do not rent a house to a bachelor
I explained for them that I am not single
I have wife with three children but they do not show any attention to my words
I was entangled in a throe
Now I was a junior and every day I was working between 15 and 16 hours
ceaselessly I was designing
so far the papers were moaning due my hard working
and the pencil had been turned to my sixth finger
I painted the portrait of people and give it to them
I depicted their faces exactly similar to themselves
and many of my apprentices today after many years
they come to me and say that we have preserved the portrait that I have drawn of them
It is a craft that through repetition one can draw the portrait of a man exactly like himself
But it is not an art, it is a craft
Anyway I have learnt it and through it I secure my livelihood
I worked ceaselessly, both in the days and at the nights
I was master in water color too
In the winters my room was not too bad
but in summers I had a great problem
it was not warm it was hot
In the third and the fourth stories of the building I was living
there were two rooms that the theater trainees were living
and to escape from hot weather of the room I resorted to their room and sleep there
but in the winters, I had a pleasant secluded room
Sometimes I had a guest and in these cases we sleep obliquely
Better to sum up the issue, in brief we had many stories about staying in this room
The measurement of the room was 8×2/5 meters and three parts of its four part was covered by tableaus
the tableaus were worked in the university as classic assignment
or the tableaus were drawn for my own wish
The dimensions of the tableaus were one meter in two meters
I should cook in this room too and of course sleep too
In this painful condition finally the course of university came to end
Part 03
What University Taught me?
Before entering into university most of my works were designing
indeed I had a special interest in designing
Designing was a criterion for me, a principle
In my imagination I assume that God is the greatest
designer who had designed the man in his own conception
God for forty days designed the man’s figure and then he created man
In a word I wanted to know man, the man as it is
as an entity and then infiltrate in to this entity and to create the format
and the essence that creates the volume of the human bulk.
In the university we had dexterous teachers
Master Me’marzadeh was the master of my designing
Mr. Hamidi was the father of modern painting
In the second term our masters merely appreciated my works,
but in the third term I was outstanding in the class
In all the terms Master Hamidi was
my teacher he pushed me to a modern designing
based upon the formation of plans and divisions, the main
look of Mr. Hamidi was to the gray section of the work
he used to say that the gray colors are the essential part of any design
these gray colors are the essential part of any design
these gray colors are determinant,
in coloring his main attention was towards the black and white
He used to ask: “How do you see the black and the white sections of the work?
How do you see the positive and negative plans?
How do you see the vertical and horizontal designs?
He did not look at a design in parts or in sections
but his look was at the whole, namely he had a holistic look
He focused upon the parts which were determinant in designing and
expected that those parts have been placed in the right way
He looked from various points to be assured that those parts are in its right position.
It was a principle that we followed it meticulously. Mr. Hamidi taught us
that the work is not supposed to be completed easily
the artists should be entangled with it
, the soul of the work should infiltrate into the soul of artist
He corrected the manner of holding pencil or brush in hand
He used to say: “Employ the width of the brush”
” Whenever I completed a work he advised me to
evaluate it obsessively revise it again and again
I had offered a work measured 2×2 meter for the final examination
he cast a glance at it and said: “wash it away
what a poor work it is!
I have spent all my capability for two months
he admonished me to wash it.
And most of the times I washed that tableau and I started again.
When I was a university student
I was in an ambience to look deeper to understand
better and to walk closer to our own disposition
All my effort was to evince my own characteristics
In university, especially from the view of Mr. Hamidi,
we were expected to follow a definite process in all the works
For example, when I offered a new work to Mr. Hamidi he said it is not a good painting
because you, yourself are not present in it,
while in your previous work
you were present whatever existed in the previous work should be seen in the next work too
provided that you move towards perfection; it means evolution
In this way when I was in the last term of university I started to teach too.
Let me talk a little about my thesis
The subject of my practical thesis was the Turkman people
I wanted to show the real nature of Turkman people
with all their beautiful specifications, their peaceful disposition and friendly nature,
but at the same time their bravery to save their rights and
their resistance against any oppression
I aspired to show the people of Turkman as
I loved them and declare to the residents of Tehran
that such nice people are living in the north of Iran
the lovingly people who weave carpet,
the grandmothers who sew and stitches 40-piece quilt,
to show them these people are different people
their happiness for their wedding ceremonies are something else
their mourning for their dead are awfully passionate,
their wailing is a real wailing
Even their women are wrestler,
once the women of Turkman were easy riders
There is a story of a young woman who said to her suitor that if he can catch her in horse riding
competition she would accept his request for marriage
A fable is narrated that there was a wrestler
woman from the Salar clan who had many suitors and
once her father reproached her why she does not marry despite a great number of suitors
she replied that she is waiting for a man who has not suggested her yet
Her father asked: “Who is that man you aspire him?”
His daughter replied: “The man can defeat her in wrestling.”
Someone is found and invited the girl for wrestling and they accept to stick to their promise
That young male defeated the girl and the girl after being defeated
informed her father that the one who has defeated her,
is in the back yard now
Her father cast a look through the window and he saw a ram is in the back yard
. It is the same ram that you can see in the design
of most of the carpets have been weaved by Turkman women
Ram for the people of Turkman is the symbol of power and bravery and its design
has been woven on the carpet of that hall which is called in Turkman language “Qochoq”.
Before completing the B.A. course one of my roommates asked me:
“Do you want to attend in the entering examination of Master of Art?”
I thought a little and I replied: “Let us attend and see what will happen.”
My roommate was from Shiraz
and after enrolling we utterly forgot that we have enrolled for the entering examination.
Suddenly we remembered that we should receive a card for entering in the hall of examination
When I received the questionnaire
I saw that the English question was about the life of Joan Miró.
We should translate it into Persian I knew the life of Joan Miró.
My foreign language was not good but since I knew him and I was familiar with his life
when I was reading the English text
almost I could understand it, so I translated the text in an agreeable manner
I knew the answer of the other six questions too.
More than three months passed and every day
I asked the man of the kiosk of paper selling
about the papers that publish the list of those who are accepted in the M.A. level.
And he answered who does think about university in this throes
Then one day I told him I am sure the list has been published
He said: “By chance two days after you asked me about the list of the accepted ones
I saw it, but you did not come anymore.”
I sought for it and at length with a great difficulty I found the paper and
my name was flashing among the names of accepted ones
Fortunately, the date of interview was its tomorrow and
I told my wife that I have passed this phase successfully
My mother in law protested: “What it means?
Again are you planning to stay in Tehran?
If you do not come back to Gonbad we will not stay for you anymore.”
I told them that I want to follow my studies
and after a little scuffle they accepted to stay in Tehran with me
I took part in the interview and
the interviewers were Mr. Hamidi my own master who knew me very well and
Mr. Ayatollahi who knew me was familiar with me
They asked me some questions about Renaissance
In the heat of interview Mr. Ayatollahi was inflicted by nosebleed and interview was stopped
But Mr. Hamidi assured me that I have successfully passed this phase
They returned to Gonbad to prepare everything for departure
In the mean while I must present the thesis for B. A. before the end of October and
finally I successfully presented it and took part in the M.A classes.
Part 04
The University Professors and the First Exhibitions
The Open University was the first university in Iran
that possesses the painting classes at the Master of Art level
Our masters are in this level were Mr. Ruin Pakbaz
Mr. Alkhas, Mr. Mehdi Hosseini, Mr. Jafari and Mr. Salimi.
All the classes were held by these teachers and indeed we had wonderful classes
They show us our weak and strong points without any clamor.
We worked a lot; sometimes I work from dawn to down and
sometimes within a week I performed 40 works
In these works, which were the product of the working assiduously from
early in the morning up to the late in the night
my main attention was focused on the philosophy of art
According to this philosophy the artist should learn how art could manifest itself in an art work
and then how this art could be impressive,
namely the work itself divulges that it is the outcome
of an Iranian Artist and how the artist show himself
how the work could explain its identity.
Miniature is my favored art in a particular way
The Iranian identity should be seen in all the miniatures
Indeed, through the instructions of my teacher my attention was focused on the manner of looking
he manner of plan forming and the philosophy of this art
I learnt this manner of looking from Mr. Pakbaz and from Mr. Hosseini
the modern art and the manner of establishing relation with it
He taught me how an Iranian man could establish a reciprocal
relation with specifications theme and
subjects of modern art and at the same time preserves his own Iranian identity. Mr. Mehdi Hosseini
taught me how to look at the painting in this way
Now let us return to the meaning and purport
of freedom looking which liberates man from bounding and fanatical views.
Mr. Alkhas taught me to look in this way
Mr. Jafari showed me how to look poetically and romantically and
how to give my brush the power to move on the canvass freely and impromptu.
Mr. Salimi taught us how to use material and the other forms of painting
Sometime we all left the class to look at a great artist at the heat of his painting
sometimes when the students were not in an ambience to learn theoretical issues
Mr. Jafari gave us drive to an exhibition to see the works of great artists
We had classes allocated to commentaries and discourses
I believe whatever our master should do in these classes, all they have done
The teachers employed all their capabilities to teach us
for heartedly they wanted to help and guide us
Our teachers were accompanying us in all the arena, both in the classes and out of the classes;
we were ceaselessly with each other.
In the process of compiling thesis all the masters were present.
They invited other masters to look at our works
to evaluate us, to see how we have passed the various courses and phases
to see what we had been before starting the M.A. course and what we are now
Everything was at the culmination
It was wonderful. We offered our thesis in this way and at length graduated happily.
After receiving my master, I tried to preserve
the traditional ambience of Turkman people in my works
Most of my works were blended with this traditional look
in such a way that one of my friends said that if you were not a Turkman
probably you would never be a painter.
He was right, my main themes were Turkman traditions
When I let myself to be more free, I felt that I can work more freely.
It is worthy to say that I have been placed in a suitable situation and a wonderful place.
One day a young man came to me he was graduated from the University of Art
his branch was handicraft, he showed me his thesis
I saw his technique was the same one that I was looking for,
he had worked the techniques of batik
I told him: “What a wonderful work have you done!
Please explain it for me.” He was explaining and I was jotting down.
The subject of my first work was “the consulting session of a group of Turkman women.”
A child was in the cuddle of a young girl
It is a tradition among the Turkman people that younger women choose
a place among the older women to receive advices
The older give advices about their wedding
ceremonies or other issues. I chose this scene for my work.
The result was really wonderful.
I have used the azure color which are employed for the tiles of the mosques
the colorful clothes of Turkman women
were an echo of their beautiful nature and from these motifs,
amazing scenes have been created.
It was a gathering of people but all the people were travelling in an azure atmosphere
Sometimes an impromptu work is so wonderful that makes you mad
I start painting in the yard, and then I came here
exactly in the same room that we are just now
I placed a tub in the yard which was made by the help of a nylon and bricks
Then I poured the powder of pigments and stay awake up to the morning
In the morning the colors were blended
and the outcome was amazing, it was really a great work.
The outcome of the designing was wonderful
It was unbelievable
they were amazing for the sake that before
starting to perform a long time I had thought about it
When it comes out from the printing house
you would find what have you done
It was a patch of cloth, as big as this one. even a little bigger than it.
Once my class mate Ms. Tavassoli – now she is a resident of Paris
had reserved a gallery – one of the three galleries and
the best of them – but she had no time to hold an exhibition and
asked me to display my own works
I told her I have no money, she insisted to save her grace to hold an exhibition
in lieu of her and at length I accepted to hold an exhibition.
It occurs to me to prepare the invitation cards with hand writing and then to copy it
copied it in the school and I bought packet for the cards and then the exhibition was held
I prepared the cards with an amount of 10 to 12 thousands Toomans (around 2 dollars) and
copied it in the school and I bought packet for the cards and then the exhibition was held
You can’t believe it how the exhibition was attractive!
Most of works possessed a kind of innovation, they were a different look, a special look
The theme of the exhibition was very special;
it was about the ceremonies and the traditions of Turkman people
All the works possess an identity; they were really Iranian.
They were oriental they all were erupted from East ern view
Among them there were some miniature, all the tableaus were supported by a philosophy.
And at the same time as Mr. Hamidi used to say, was beautiful too
he believed the works which
are to be displayed must be really beautiful.
Part 05
The Job Periods
My job as an artist started from university
Before it I had no mentor and no guide and
all my efforts were self-training and were merely a kind of rehearsal
In the university my masters made me familiar with various aspects of paintings
but all my efforts were limited to this notion to show it that I am Turkman
All my works possesses at least a Turkman motif.
If I was working on the picture of a woman in its background
I show the designs of Turkman carpet
the flowers which forming the designs of the Turkman carpets in particular
I wanted to inform all my addressees that the work
they are looking at, belongs to a Turkman artist
It was one of the motifs that those days I wished to repeat
Indeed, a long time I worked with this idea and notion and
mostly all of my tableaus showed the scenes of Turkman wedding ceremonies.
Then I changed my track and
chose various themes, but the main motifs were the same
In this phase my materials changed and
I turned to water color rather than oil color
and working on the canvass rather than card board
In this period my favored subjects were still traditional folklore issues,
but not a domestic tradition but a national one
I started to work on the Imam Hussein mourning ceremonies
Now I wanted to show the national beliefs and
ceremonies and of course the scenes of Shahnameh as well.
In a period of my job I showed interest to batik
a method of printing colored design on cloth by waxing the parts that are not to be dyed
This method gave an acceleration to my work
wherever I faced a problem I erased it by acrylic and installed it on canvass and
I used same the material of the cloth that
cover the sections has been spoiled with cloth and amended it
Sometimes I work on the canvass has been worked before
the work that I myself had done before in this case I cut them and
I glued them on the canvass, through this manner I came sooner to the favored result
When I spent more time, the work became more pleasant and more lovely
In addition to employing Iranian designs and colors was very important for me
One of the most important colors which forms this complex
is the color of ochre which are used in most of the places
and the other one is the Iranian azure color of the domes
Here is the issue of beliefs
the issues of traditional ceremonies
when we want to depict the shrines and sacred places I used to employ
the same colors namely the colors of azure and ochre,
besides the other painting colors.
The usage of these colors based on this idea that according to Iranian tradition
paradise is really full of light
I love the bright colors, the waves of light project in all my works
Why? Because the paradise is full of light, it is shining.
Later I faced to collage. I faced this manner involuntarily
it was an impromptu performance
In this manner my motif took distance from
the Iranian traditions I told myself it is better to know
the foreigner’s ceremonies and convictions
I wanted to know what is the nature of the other’s culture
I wanted to know what type of relation may be existed between these cultures
I decided to look from a fresh angle to the traditions
Our previous notion in the philosophy of painting was very clear
it was a reflection of the today’s art with all its configuration
I was contemplating on the issue that what type of
common specifications could be found in these configurations
how we can establish relation between them and what may be the nature of this relation
and what type of this relation could be favorable
I wished to preserve my own oriental view, but I wished to exploit their motifs too
Of course these motifs, could not be dominated over my works, but would form a part of it
I wanted to address the foreign artists that this is my portion of art and
you can put forward your portion too and then the artistic exchange will be done
In brief I wanted to show in a single complex
the Eastern and Western cultures with emphasis on Iran culture.
A tableau may be worked by two artists, even by ten artists
it could be an interchange of ideas. It may be the subject of research
You can re-create Mona Lisa in a berry orchard as I have done it
Berry orchard is the symbol of Japan
but Mona Lisa belongs to somewhere else,
what is important here is the nature and the structure of looking
It is a type of glance that based upon synchronization and
many cultures are blended and seen simultaneously
To me such a look could be successful, but actually we are at the beginning point and
we are very far from destination.
Once I went Paris and saw all the people have gathered around the tableau of Mona Lisa
I told myself I can give an Iranian identity to her;
I can wear her with an Iranian veil and place her among the Iranian circles.
Once I covered her with an Iranian special bath cloth in a pond
And again I returned to Iran and placed her in a pond with a bath cloth made of Iran national flag
In the other word I want to say my configuration
is – say – Chinese, but the type of clothes is pure Iranian.
It was welcomed because its transportation is very easy and
many people prefer small sizes for its easier transportation
Nevertheless, I like the large size works
Once I went Paris and took a large number of my tableaus
most of them were without frame. I was wondering what to do with these tableaus
I could not install them on the walls for the sake
that all the walls were made of stone and you cannot nail them
I place them on the ground, people were walking among them
It was very interesting, as if they were walking in a rose bower
The artist is using this cloth for the sake that he could transport them easily
In fact, it is a tableau but you can carry it with your hand or in your baggage or a nylon bag
Once I had drawn the picture of Ka’ba,
its curtain was very long in such a way that when it was hanged,
part of it was placed on the ground.
In this tableau all the people who were circumambulating Ka’ba were white with
golden hair and Barbie stature and they were walking to their own beloved with their colorful clothes
they were not picture, they were the maquette of people,
were placed and move to their single beloved.
Once again I wanted to protest against war
I was really offended of the present condition.
I chose a cloth in vermilion color and draw the picture
of Jesus Christ that his hand was taken a questioning form
namely the Christ was asking his followers
“What are you going to do? What is the meaning of this commotion?
Why is there some much clamor? What means these carnages?”
I chose these social motifs to invite people to peace and calmness.
This is a curtain that I have depicted of my imagination of paradise
It is a beautiful imagination
I like it. I was listening to Payam Radio,
a man was talking about Armstrong the first traveler to the Moon.
He said that Armstrong took a spray of olive with himself
I told myself what a beautiful conduct he has done!
it means that he likes to offer freedom and peace to the imaginary living existences of the Moon
why I do not follow him
Then I depicted a small garden full of horses plus the meaning of gentleness
plus people with various clothes, white, black and other colors
Then I placed a spray of olive in the hand of all of them and
I said why this colorful spray should not be among them
why I should not benefit from ochre color
azure color and I added the Turkman’s cottages in
a plain which is not completely normal or standard but
it is a plain with the sprays of olive that essayed to the sky
One could see a plain in this way and of course it is not very beautiful and
it is not very normal, but one could see a plain in this way too.
Two years ago I held my last exhibition in the Etemad Gallery
Again the main theme of the tableaus were traditional scenes plus the local games and
the scenes of the fighting of Rustam and Sohrab
The last work that I have done is the picture of Buddha
Since this year was cold I painted Buddha who is warming up himself with a 40-piece quilt
It means that Buddha has slept in a warm place
The tableau was purchased to be sent to Romania.
Part 06
The Specifications of the Works
First and foremost, I am a Turkman and then an Iranian and
when I am talking of being an Iranian,
it means that I am talking of a package of ceremonies
creeds, faiths and beliefs which are common among the Iranian people.
I am lost among all these specifications;
for this very reason I can choose the subjects and the themes from people
I have tried to understand people and make people to understand me and
I am sure when I succeeded in this interaction, my works would be welcomed by the folks
Now I am pondering how we can establish a relation between
our culture that covers all the aforementioned items with the others’ culture
In the other word how it is possible to establish
an interaction between our traditions and other’s tradition
For example, when Moslem people launch circumambulate seven time around
the Ka’ba, so I employ this figure in my works in various ways or the figure 9 for the Turkman
peoples is the figure of perfection and therefore I show it somehow in my tableaus
Sometimes by drawing, people and sometimes in another way.
Women are present in all my works
In ninety percent of my tableaus woman lives,
I suppose the presence of women in my works originates
from this fact that in the days of my childhood I was concurrently at the side of my mother
We worked together, we make or spoiled the colors for the carpets along with each other
we were dying the raw materials by the help of each other, dying is very important in my life
Wherever there is a space, it is filled with women
In Turkman Sahra all the artistic works are done by women,
from carpet weaving to dress decorating or any other efforts like these
As a whole the women are the most creative and the most effective power in our life
they are securing the livelihood of the people of Turkman Sahra.
When people step in my works they all choose to ascend
they are moving upward, because ascending is inseminated in their creation,
they are moving towards of their own beloved
The gender of these people are not distinguishable
it is not clear that they are men or women they are merely human beings
Mostly are women but to me they could be men too
but it is a texture and texture is one of things that I have found personally
texture is a section of today’s art,
the same texture could connect the East to the West
such connection causes that the stranger
remains not stranger anymore with any occupation
That texture, that beloved, that moving towards
God are one of the specifications of today’s art
Or the colors that you see such as azure,
blue or red and green which are more common in painting
all and all are the factors of closeness.
Why these colors are used more? If you look closely
you will see that the same colors were used in the Renaissance era
I want to say that by the help of colors, I create
a mental space between two sides that are common in a point
In the era of Renaissance, the same colors with the same forms were used.
Horse is a determinant factor in my works
, because in our plain and in our environment there is a lot of horses
Sometimes I show the horses in symbolic forms,
for example in the present work I have assumed horses
as the Palestinian people and the rivulet as the brook
of blood and the gentle horses are crossing through the blood
It is the result of latest Gaza bombing raid that its scenes ceaselessly haunted me,
the circumference of the tableau is the space of paradise and the houris
are in the rose bower, but in its brook, blood is flowing.
I encourage my audiences to see the beauties
One can see everything beauty even in the culmination
of disaster because in any issue there is an aspect of beauty
In the old times at the apex of suffocation I chose the delightful colors
I was asked how can you choose bright colors in this era?
I invite people to happiness, I advise them cherish the seed of happiness in their hearts
The name of this tableau is not Michael Jackson, its name is paradise.
I want to work on a design; first I perform it on a paper.
Sometimes before working on the canvass
I draw 10, 20 even 30 designs on the paper
I work ceaselessly, I add the number of the people
, then delete some of them and again add some new elements and erase them
I choose a color and then substituted it for another color
In these changes most of the time new ideas occur to me and sometimes
I put aside the first design and chose another one
In this way I take a patch of canvass and ask myself:
“Which format is appropriate to this design?
Which size suitable for it?”
And then I choose the right patch of cloth
or tailoring it to proper size and started to work
Then I hang it on the wall of the yard and perform the design, dying
coloring, washing and placing it in the middle of this
room to work on it and finally it would be returned on the wall
of the yard to be corrected and its flaws and impairments be removed and
based on my installment I arranging and coloring it
and at length I stretch it on the ground and take photo of it.
Now I need some people to look at it, some laymen
I display it and ask them what idea occurs to them when they look at this tableau
their understanding of this tableau?
Sometimes I invite some experts to come here to have lunch and then I show them
the tableau when I am assured that my goal has been realized,
I regarded this section as a completed work.
It may last one month, sometimes the sense, the knowledge and
the insight of the artist says that this work possesses
not more capacity to be entangled with it
stop it, nevertheless I have seen some of
my works belonged to ten years ago and I thought it is wonderful
but if that work was at my disposal, I would correct it or even I put it aside
It means that at that time my ability, my creativity and my capability were not beyond it.
Sometime from morning up to noon I sit in front of the canvass,
all the equipment is at my reach, but I take not even the brush
as if I am gotten stuck in the mud. In these cases, I need to be patient as Job
Then I perform ablution and start to pray and
say in heart that God is great and would cast a look at me too
Then that event would occur.
\ Sometimes I am in my home, my home is like a museum
I have made it something similar to museum and as I am looking around the home
that feeling or idea I aspire for it occurs in me, sometimes it comes before asleep,
sometimes at day break and when that idea arrives,
I start to work then everything would be placed in its order.