TEHRAN -- Painter Aidin Aghdashlu who is also a prominent art critic says that Noruz, the ancient celebration of the Iranian New Year beginning on the first day of spring, has received scant regard in contemporary Persian art.

 

By Manijeh Rezapur

However, he says that the slight attention refers to the constancy of Noruz in Iranian daily life.

 

“Noruz has always been part of each Iranian nationality,” the modest painter, author and art historian recently told the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview at his home.

 

He said, “Our people fall into a kind of emotional state of excitement mixed with joy and happiness before Noruz arrives. They become restless.

 

“Noruz is rooted within the society; it is felt deeply in the society. Noruz has been within the people; the artists are accompanied by them. But I don’t know any more,” he gently replied, sitting on an ornate old chair in his room decorated with beautiful paintings and various artifacts, including bas-reliefs, tiles and metal wares, set upon or above the many rows of book shelves.

 

“Noruz has been observed more or less in Iranian artworks of the past and present, but not extensively and not in works by younger generation. Perhaps some artists from the Kamalolomolk School of art worked on Noruz, but in my own generation, Ali-Akbar Sadeqi can be named as having done his watercolors on the theme of Noruz,” he explained.

 

Known as Kamalolmolk, Mohammad Qaffari (1847-1940) was a famous Iranian painter. The Kamalolmolk School of Painting was perpetuated by his disciples and their students, among them such famous names as Mahmud Olia, Kazem Ordubadi and Abbas Katuzian.

 

When asked the question if he has been inspired by the spirit of Noruz in his own artworks, he kindly replied, “No, not really, I am not that type of artist. But whatever is related to Iran has always been the basis for my works. The older Iranian artworks or artifacts made in prior times have always made good subjects for my works. Of course, I fracture and sometimes nearly destroy them for my own projects.”

 

“Perhaps these new arts are for a better celebration of Noruz, but directly centering on Noruz and featuring the Haft Seen spread, no, I have not seen that in artworks,” he added.

 

A Noruz Haft Seen spread includes seven items that begin with the Persian letter “seen”, which is pronounced in the same way as “s” in English. The Haft Seen spread features sib (apple), samanu (a sweet pudding made from wheat seedlings), seer (garlic), sekkeh (coins), sumac (a spice), serkeh (vinegar) and sabzeh (green sprouted seeds).

 

On the foreign artists who have worked on Noruz, Aghdashlu said, “Perhaps some Orientalists have worked on Noruz celebrations in Persepolis, but that is only part of a glance at the history of Iran and its costumes and traditions. They have focused more on history.”

 

In recent years, mostly postcards and calendars bear paintings by masters such as Sadeqi and some unknown artists who have worked on Noruz. The master also commented on these artworks and said, “It is graphics. Graphics are more independent as compared to paintings, since they are directly in contact with people. This can be a valid reason for a graphic design and it is a good thing.”

 

Moreover, he added that the graphic designs and the art of today have paid more attention to Noruz and the symbols of the ancient celebration.

 

Asked about his opinion of encouraging the youth to work on Noruz, he responded, “Painting is something inside an artist. Each artist finds his own theme to work on.”

 

He called the plans to hold art exhibitions on the theme of Noruz good and added, “Gallery owners or the public sector can hold contests or exhibits with Noruz as the focus, and then the artists who want to attend these competitions would be more eager to do so.”

 

“But it is to say that graphics has done more, perhaps because of its closer relation with people. Of course, the economy also plays major role. People know very well that they are familiar with the symbols, and graphic designers can create simpler works compared to paintings, which can be quite complex and their creation has nothing to do with the visitors.”

 

And finally asked if the atmosphere and the feelings surrounding the arrival of Noruz could act as a good source of inspiration for an artist, he quietly replied, “Unfortunately, they cannot, since if they were, they would surely make a fine subject for a painting.”

 

RM/YAW

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