Ali Akbar Sadeghi
Audio of the Entire Interview
Interview Transcript
Part 01
I was born on Pamenar Street and I was 4 years old when we came to Qolhak
Because my father worked in an arms factory in Sultanabad
My high school was Jam High School, which was built by the court minister, Mr. Jam, when I was there
Of course, the Jam school was a very, very good school, first of all, we had a music bell at that time
And calligraphy was very important for them and for the school
When I was in the middle of the sixth grade, this school was converted into a high school
And they took us to another school that was in the same building, on Dolat Street, where we went there.
This school used to be a cowshed, they told us which school we were going to and we said we were going to the cowshed.
While the name of this school was Khayyam, they put me here
There was also a room there called the craft room, they had put a bunch of communal saws and plywood and such things for us, and they told me that you are in charge here.
The technical and industrial works that I know very well actually started from there
When I was 10-11 years old, I was very interested in carpentry, both painting and carpentry
At the head of our alley, there was a carpenter whose name was Najar Os-Hossein
I told my father that if it is possible, I will learn carpentry from Os Hossein and become his student during the 3 months of summer vacation.
My father said that there is nothing wrong, he told him and he said that yes, I love Akbar very much and he is a very good boy, let him come here and become my student.
I went there and in short I would sweep his shop, then I would sit from morning till night and straighten the crooked nails.
It wasn’t like now that nails were like this, I used to straighten all the crooked nails that were taken out of boxes and other things from morning till night.
He used to pay me 1 century a day and believe me, all my fingers were scarred because I had straightened nails and had a hammer in my hand.
But it was very enjoyable for me, one of the memories I have that maybe these nail boards of mine are actually motivated from those days.
In the Qolhak neighborhood, for example, they used to come from these curtain readers
He had a very big coffee house, which had a lot of coffee house paintings in it, and several painters used to sit there and paint.
An old butcher always had these coffee house paintings around his shop
whose most famous painting was the painting of the brave butcher when he hits the chest of Hazrat Ali and then realizes that he is Hazrat Ali
He puts his hand on the stump and cuts his hand with a cleaver, and then Hazrat Ali sticks his hand and so on.
This painting was painted in several plans, it was a very interesting painting
Most of them were Pahlavi or Ashurai paintings and so on
One memory that I will never forget is that my mother gave me 5 rials and said, “Go, Akbar, get meat from Us Mohammad the butcher and bring it.”
I said, “eyes,” and in short, I came and went to the shop, and I got lost in these coffee house paintings, and I was looking at them like that.
Then Mohammad Agha Kasab said, Akbar, why did you stand here, what do you want to stand here for 2 hours?
I said, I’m sorry, Mr. Mohammad, if possible, give me 5 zara of meat
He gave me the meat and I came out, there was a coffee house below the butcher shop
I came to the coffee house and I was standing like this, so much so that there were paintings around it
I said once, oh, as if it’s late, I ran to go home to give the meat to my mother.
I saw that some of these carriers stood there and recited the curtain
I ran home and told my mother, she also said, “Where have you been, disgraced man, and because of these words, lunch was late.”
I said that I’m sorry dear, and he took a pinch from me and I let go of the pain
I ran and went and sat on the ground in front of him to see what the carrier said
But I really want to say that I did not understand Naqal’s words at all, I was lost in the paintings.
Hazrat Abbas had cut that bastard in half like a cucumber, these were very good motivations
My uncle worked in the British embassy, one day he brought a painting that I have never seen before.
The tip of this pen was three colors, red and blue green, I painted with this a woman who was actually wearing a maxi dress or a long skirt.
That’s what I always said Perhaps the best painting I did in my life was that painting
In the place, the children called me Akbar Naqash
I was constantly sitting and drawing, my father was also very angry about this
I was accepted every year until the 6th grade of primary school and I almost didn’t get bad grades
When I was in the seventh grade, I had painted so much. My father said that you should either become a doctor or an engineer. Do you want to become a painter and go paint in coffee houses?
Because at that time they thought that everyone was painting in the coffee house
Then I was rejected in seventh grade, my father got angry and said that you don’t have the right to draw anymore and took away my drawing tools.
But I was secretly painting anyway, then my father saw that I was very interested and quietly said nothing.
My father said that if we go and have your tonsils removed, I will buy you a box of watercolors.
I was so excited that I didn’t say anything under the surgeon’s knife
After I came out of the hospital, there was a painting supplies store in Lalezar-Istanbul, it had mostly foreign things.
My father bought me a watercolor box, I was so happy that I put the watercolor box under my pillow at night so that a thief wouldn’t come and take it.
We had a teacher named Mr. Gurji, he was the head of Tehran theater
I had painted a portrait of Paganini and a portrait of Beethoven on both sides when they made it at school.
I had painted a frame around it and painted the thread and nails
Then, since the window was on the left side, the light was coming from this side, so I cast the shadow of the frame on the wall
Mr. Gerji was very fond of art himself, for example, he or his father directed the theaters that were performed in school.
Then he came and said, “Oh, who brought these beautiful paintings and hung them here?”
They said sir, this is not a painting, Akbar Sadeghi painted these, he said don’t talk nonsense
He went forward and saw that it was really a painting, he said to call him to come and they called me
By the way, one of the things that I was rejected that year was actually the English language, which he was an English teacher
He encouraged me a lot and said, “Barikla” and he also ordered me a painting that I painted for my Tehran theater, which was later burnt in a fire.
I had also made a drawing on a plate for him, he also gave me a good grade in English that year in the ninth grade.
And he recommended me to other teachers that he will become a painter, don’t be too strict
Until the twelfth grade, draw this teacher’s picture, draw his mother’s picture, draw his deceased father’s picture, I used to paint on the plate and give them as gifts, for all the teachers.
It was also the first year that the public entrance exam was held, and I said that now I will go and take the entrance exam
I went to take the test and then came back and saw my name and card number behind the glass
I was very surprised, how is it possible that I have been accepted now, who did not study so much?
While many of my friends who, for example, had a rude teacher and because of these words, they were not accepted, but I was accepted, and all the children were surprised.
Then I went to archeology and enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts for its internal entrance exam
Of course, at the entrance examination of the Faculty of Fine Arts, they put a statue of Venus or Hercules in the middle of a hall and there were tripods around it, and everyone who came painted.
My tripod was right in front of the window and it was actually a silhouette sculpture, light here and there and dark in the middle.
In short, I drew him, and then Master Heydarian, may God have mercy on him, came and looked and said, “My son, you are accepted, go, but I didn’t believe it, and now it was already noon.”
The exam continued until 4:00 PM and I went to this place until 4:00 PM
Then they put the names behind the glass in the Faculty of Fine Arts and I started to read from the bottom and I saw that it was like I was not accepted.
I went and saw that he had become the first student in the Faculty of Fine Arts, then I didn’t go to take the archeology exam anymore, this was the beginning of the faculty that I entered.
Part 02
In college, our first teacher, who was very effective in seeing us well, was Mr. Mohammad Ali Heydarian, who was one of Kamalul Molk’s students.
He said that we should take a good look, for example, they would put a statue that we would draw from
For example, it happened to me once that he came and saw and said, my son, this is very, very good, but raise his shoulder half an inch higher.
I said to myself that half a centimeter makes a difference, he said that he has gained a little weight, it’s on your own and there is nothing wrong with it.
Later I realized that he really wanted to teach us how to see well, he wanted half a centimeter for me to see well.
At that time, the studios from the first year to the fourth year were all together in 3 very big halls and we worked.
And for example, the fourth year was next to the first or second year, because I had painted a lot, I even sometimes helped the third and fourth years and worked for them.
I always say that we probably learned more from our classmates than from our teachers.
Because we could easily talk to them and criticize our work
At that time, they did not accept the modern work faculty at all
For example, Morteza Mamiz worked somewhat modern, and for example, his project was somewhat modern.
Or, for example, Mr. Kiarostami had glued a series of pottery jars on the canvas and worked for his project.
Some people did modern works, but the faculty itself did not accept these works
He accepted most of the classic works or classic fonts, now even if it was modern, they would use mostly classic fonts.
Of course, I myself was doing a series of modern works in my studio, and in the new book I published, I did many modern and abstract works.
In the end, in this style, in this type of painting, I actually continued my work
I spent 12 years in college as a soft soldier
And then Mr. Engineer Sihoun became the head of the Faculty of Fine Arts
that he came and then he kicked me out of the college once because I am an addict
that I didn’t smoke even then, then one of our relatives who was their friend said that Sadeghi is not like that, what are these words?
In short, on the same day, 2 employees grabbed my armpits and threw me out of the university door and said that you have no right to come again.
And then he briefly reunited with our family and I came back again
Because on the first day he came, he wanted to lighten up on those who were a bit mischievous.
In short, I was one of those who had to shrink my face
I actually started my professional work from stained glass and cinema placards
For example, I used to paint a medicine box, I used to paint a shirt box, I used to work on different things.
Or, for example, I made movie posters, I worked on the back of magazines
They used to give me a picture of an actress and tell me to do this for the magazine. I worked a lot for Omid Iran magazine.
They said to work on the background, for example, in the background I was painting flowers or other things that were for printing.
Stained glass had almost become my main job, in fact, I put the cinema poster aside and did more advertising and stained glass work.
I was in Shahabad, one of my friends told me that it gets very crowded in Shahabad and from these words
It would be great if you could get a place for Pahlavi Street and there
I came and searched here and there and found this same green gallery, whose goodwill was 60,000 tomans.
Also, I didn’t have 60 thousand tomans, I had a plot of land in Qalhak, which I sold
I sold the land for 35 thousand tomans and I had 25 thousand tomans less
It was at the same time that they had built the Vahdat Hall that they came and ordered me a stained glass window
I told the price and they ordered and I got 40 thousand tomans for the stained glass windows
At first, it was called Vitrai Gallery, and I was actually only working in Vitrai at that time
Many people know me as a watercolor painter, while watercolor painting was actually my hobby
Actually, I used to work with surreal painting and oil paint in my studio
I used to work with watercolors on holidays or late at night, I never sat in the studio to put the watercolor tools in front of me and work with watercolors.
It was very enjoyable for me, and in fact, the difficulties I faced in my daily work were actually solved at night with watercolors, and everything went well.
I never really repeat myself, although I try once in a while
I am the same Ali Akbar Sadeghi, with the same soldiers, with the same apples, but I work with a different technique every time.
Part 03
I made 6 films before the revolution called 7 Shahr, Golbaran, Man Anam Ke, Malek Khurshid, Rukh and Zal and Simorgh.
I myself like Zal and Simorgh very much because I was probably the first person to make an Iranian animated film before Islam.
Children’s intellectual development center where Mr. Shirvanlu was the artistic director at that time
They gave a story to each painter who painted a certain style
that I painted the book “Pehlanan Pahlanan” written by Mr. Nader Ebrahimi and Kanon liked it very much.
As I said, at that time I was an Air Force officer and I was serving my duty
Then they brought me to the center and said that they want you to make an animation film with your own painting style
I said, “I don’t know what cinema is, and I don’t know what animation movements are.”
I haven’t even seen the animation camera yet
Mr. Shirvanlu gave me a writing, well, finally when they give a writing to a person
One should make a scenario for this, decoupage, make a storyboard for it and design the characters first.
I took this and started it like this, as if I had a scenario
The story was that in fact old man…
Finally, Pir Zaman when he gets up and gets on his horse and wants to go
Her necklace falls and the door opens and there is a heart in it, which means that love is in front of you and you should not look for it.
Then all the houses turn into hearts and people come
The first thing I did was, what is the animation like, how many frames should it be, how should it be? I did not know any of these at all
There was a book in the center that was for Walt Disney, which showed a man walking in this book.
I copied this impression from my walk and actually implemented my character’s walk
Then, when we put this under the camera, we saw that wherever this person walks, he limps.
We saw that 2 frames should be removed from its lameness and 2 frames from its back and other works
Finally, at the end, we had to take a two-person shot of him with back projection, so that his legs are not clear as to how he walks.
This movie passed and the next year when I looked at this book again, I saw that it was written about the gait of the lame man, from which I had copied the movements.
Then, for my second film, which Mr. Hossein Samakar had given me a very short story, I had already entered for a while.
But I studied to see what the movements are, what are the possibilities of filming under the camera
One can draw less and use the facilities under the camera
And what is decoupage, what is voice acting and all this
And my second film, called Golbaran, was done, and some friends helped
One would draw, one would paint, one would do vision movements
After this film went to Finland, I received the first film award for an animated film abroad
I received an honors diploma, I received the award of Soviet graphic artists, then I entered filmmaking
I still didn’t know that the person who tells the story and the person who prepares the scenario are different.
I also wrote the screenplay, Mr. Hossein Samakar, who had given me a very short story
By the way, the script of this movie won the best screenplay award in New York
After that, the next films were prepared very easily, and the Rokh film was very successful
For the movie Malik Khurshid I went and bought lithography books and painted a very pale color on them and prepared the background of this movie.
Because it was the story of a young man who falls in love with a girl’s picture and then goes and fights with a demon and so on.
Then finally he saves the girl’s head from the clutches of the dragon and releases her
I won at least 40 film and illustration awards, I won the best graphic artist award in Asia
It was called the Noma exam and I won the first prize
In Leipzig, I won the award for the best graphic designer in the world, which was for the book of the prophet’s words, called worship because it is not thought.
And out of 2000 films, Rokh Ham in Virgin Islander won the first prize
My film was definitely nominated in every festival it went to
That is, they did not reject my films because I worked in a very special style
My movements were very special, the titles of my films were very beautiful titles
John Halas, who is one of the greatest animators in England, who edited the book on the history of animation
He introduced me as an innovator of a certain style in animation
Then it was time for revolution and I said that it is better for me to do my painting
Also, because the animation film did not have financial returns and the center’s budget was very limited
In any case, I left the cinema aside and just painted
Part 04
When I was in college, I was working on different styles that the kids filmed
From abstract works, from real works, I want to say Kubisim, many different works, I did a lot
Then, actually, a year before the revolution, when I gave up filmmaking and illustration, I started painting surreal
And the motivation was that after the movie I am that because, that is, it was surreal
After that I said that it is better that I do my painting because I am more of a painter
It is true that I was very successful in filmmaking and illustration and won many big awards, but I said that painting is another thing
I started painting surrealistically and for about 24-25 years, I was doing this style of painting, which is actually with a classic pen and Rando work, and it’s very difficult, but I think it’s right.
My surreal work is not foreign surrealism
That is my ironic mentality, that mysticism that existed and still exists in our lives
That special state that has an irony, it is these that come and become a symbol of my works
All these are the things that I got from my community and reading books in different years.
Of course, if I read a book, I try not to have any influence on my ideas
I really like my own ideas to just work
My last exhibition, which was in the Green Gallery, was called 40 Coalitions
The issue of the coalition was also the times when the superpowers in our region, in their own words, saved our people from the hands of some terrorists.
For these paintings, the subject of all of them is apple, that is, apple is the main character
that this was a very fundamental change since those surreal paintings like that, these are also kind of surreal in fact
After that, I made 17 paintings that were made with nails, there are 17 portraits that were mostly made with nails.
which is actually putting a fence in front of the faces and these 17 paintings took a lot of energy from me
Because I had to drill holes for each nail or paint the nails
After these 17 paintings, I became depressed once, I was severely depressed for 1 year
Then there was a canvas in front of me and I wanted to work on this canvas, but I couldn’t use the pen and paint at all.
Of course, I did not sit idle because I can never sit idle
Within this 1 year, I wrote about 150 pages of a poem-like thing that is also very surreal
I said 150 pages because I was reading from the beginning of the A4 page, without thinking.
Without choosing a topic for myself, I used to write until the end of the A4 page and at the end, Salam
Then one day, after 1 year, I said to myself, that’s enough, what does depression mean?
I took the pen and started drawing a red color on the canvas and made a series of paintings that were very colorful
It was mostly with color and design templates and so on
I did these about 27-28 times, I really want to say with love and interest that a lot
After that, I made a series of volumes, I made a series of different volumes, I made a series of Goldons called Cactus.
A chair with, for example, a broken base that they wanted to throw away, in the garbage.
I said don’t throw this away, I need this, I picked it up and worked on it hanging a chair.
Or a coat whose sleeve was burnt in a party, I reworked it
I usually wear my feet when I’m working, there are some that I usually buy and bring from London.
When these become old and torn, I turn them into birds
In this series of works, I suddenly remembered my old plans
I had made a series of designs for stained glass and for a type of old painting style where all the designs were prominent and I worked on canvas with stained glass paint.
Of course, I didn’t work more than 7-8 of them, I took 3-4 of them and worked them with hatching and drawing.
In this dimension, a very special ironic style was created that no one has worked in this ironic form yet
Most of the topics were ironic, for example, a war between two kings or a hunting ground, for example
For most of my works, I prepare a sketch beforehand and put it on the canvas
After that, I have other ideas on how to change this sketch.
Or do some other things and add other things to it
First, I draw on paper, then I copy it on the canvas
Then I start, first I apply a coat of paint like this, the colors that I think are suitable for this painting.
After it has dried, I apply the colors a little closer to my idea with another hand.
After the third time, I will sit down completely, run around, and actually do the work.
I also delete things that I think are extra, I add things, its bright shadows and how much contrast it has.
As mild as it may sound, I do all of this on the way to the end of that job actually
Part 05
Every artist chooses a series of elements to symbolize his works
For example, Rene Magritte is a man with a chapeau hat in many of his works
These are my soldiers who are in all kinds of my painting styles, I believe that man is basically a warrior
From the first day he is born, he fights for food, for his love, for his country, for all these.
Or, for example, the first person who was killed by another person was Abel, who was killed by Cain, who killed him with a stone.
Then slowly came swords, slingshots, rifles, tanks, machine guns, and then laser guns and all this.
But in the end I want to say that it makes no difference whether a person is killed by a stone or by a chemical bomb or an atomic bomb.
In any case, this killing of human beings is very, very sad for me
I came now and took the middle of this, neither those early humans nor modern humans
I chose my sword and helmet, this is the symbol of my work and anyone who sees these will understand that it is Ali Akbar Sadeghi’s work.
Well, many of the books that I have illustrated are based on the same themes
For example, the book of GardAfrid or Abdul Razzaq Pahlawan or the book of Pahlawan Pahlawan
The symbol of my work is actually an apple and one is my soldiers
When you look at the faces of these soldiers, you will see that they are not violent at all
Now some of them have their faces covered, I feel that they can’t bear to look at these crimes and these human betrayals.
They are apparently warriors, but they are very kind
In fact, they are like guardians who want to eliminate bad things, they don’t want to be bad themselves.
For example, he may have cut someone’s head, but you don’t see blood there
Or, for example, a horse that you see is dying like a candle, but in the corner, as Mr. Nader Ebrahimi used to say.
When Sadeghi paints, even if it is very harsh, there is definitely hope in one corner
The crow is usually one because of the special bonds they have with each other, their long life
And they always say that crows only bring bad news, but I don’t think so at all.
They are a very intelligent bird and very harmonious and depend on each other
Maybe these were the reasons why I used the crow symbol
For example, some of my crows are objecting to one of my characters, why is it like this
Or, for example, some of these crows are embarrassed and have lowered their heads
The shape of these crows is different according to the subject in my painting
I think the crow is always worried, when one of them gets hurt, how much they all worry and come together to save him.
I was in Germany for about 2 months in 1968, then I was unemployed and couldn’t sit down, so I went and bought a box of watercolors and started working with watercolors.
My watercolor work is also a very special style of mine, which is very free and easy
Actually, watercolor was my pastime, when I was unemployed, I would sit down on Friday afternoons and put a subject in front of me and work.
Or at the end of the night, when I was bored, for example, watercolor would work
I have published 2 books, one is Zamzameh and the other is Iran Sarzemen Mehr
The whispers are that watercolors are actually very easy, and actually wet-in-wet watercolors are more
which was very well received because almost all of them were sold in every exhibition I put them on.
In the book “Iran Sarzemin Mehr” I used special symbols of Iran
Like the mosque of Sheikh Lotfollah, like Kashan, in the paintings of Kashan, I put apples instead of domes, which I wanted to show what love is in these houses.
Or, for example, one day, when there was a lot of carpet weaving, I painted carpet patterns on all the walls of the houses.
There were a series of symbols like this or, for example, I put flowers in a very ordinary pot, and then I wrote in memory of the unknown potters.
Or, for example, I worked the calligraphy of Mirza Gholamreza under it, which was in memory of Mirza Gholamreza Isfahani
These were very special symbols that I worked with
I almost want to say that all of these were sold, every time I put watercolors, people liked them very much.
Every time something has to increase my interest so that I can work with it
In many of my works, there is a sense of humor because I don’t want my paintings to be dry when they look at them.
When they see a headphone on the head of one of my soldiers with Sony written on it, they laugh for once, it gives them a joy.
Or, for example, they usually draw on baby cribs or strollers, for example, I drew a Mickey Mouse.
When the viewer looks at these, it gives him a joy, this is very important in my opinion
Some people may say that it is ridiculous, no, in my opinion, life becomes more enjoyable when there is laughter and humor in life.
If we are a bad person and take everything too seriously, life will be bitter for us
We should try to increase happiness in our lives
Like a poem that I always remember, which says that you had a blue glass in front of your eyes, Zan caused your blue world.
We have to remove these dark glasses from our eyes and see everything beautiful and bright and good
Everything in this world is not without wisdom
I put humor on the principle that whoever looks at my painting will feel happy, this is beautiful in my opinion.
I want to say that the key to my success is work, work, study
For a moment, I am not ready to lose my work, my thinking, my reading, my listening to music, these things.
That’s why I don’t know if I told you or not that I have some papers in my bag when I go on a trip
And even that moment when, for example, we go and look at the historical monuments and go to the museum and then we go back to the hotel and eat.
Without resting or sleeping on the bed, for example, I sit and draw or paint.
It gives me a lot of peace, it teaches me to live
When I go to sleep at night, I must worry so much or think about the workplace, what I should do and what not to do tomorrow morning, until I fall asleep.
When I open my eyes in the morning, the first thing I do is look out the window to see if it’s getting light.
Then I look at the clock and, for example, I see that it is 7 in the morning, and I see that the weather is getting brighter
I say, oh man, how good, I will go and sit and paint in 2 hours.
This brings life to me, it means I never get tired, I enjoy a lot, that’s my life at all
If I don’t love my work, it makes me tired and doesn’t let me live well, bad thoughts come into my brain, I never think bad thoughts.
As I told you, my father did not like me to become a painter
Then, when I was accepted, the university was very pleased and said that you have finally found it
When they made me a permanent face, that reporter asked me, Mr. Sadeghi, what did you wish for now?
I said that I wished that my father was alive now and saw that I got this honor, it was one of the biggest wishes of my life.