A work by Master Jalil Ziapour, “Life of Tent-Dwellers” (triptych), 1983
Anthropology in the Thought and Career of Master Jalil Ziapour
Master Jalil Ziapour, in addition to his place in contemporary Iranian painting and his founding of the “Fighting Cock” movement, is regarded as one of the pioneers and authorities of anthropology in Iran, particularly in the fields of folk culture and the history of clothing. His works and writings, the fruit of decades of field research and historical study, are still among the reference sources of this discipline in universities and research centers.
In Master Ziapour’s view, “painting” and “anthropology” were not two separate categories but were deeply bound to each other, so much so that separating these two fields leaves any understanding of his art and thought incomplete. This view took shape in his youth and through his acquaintance with the traditional arts of Iran. After graduating first in his class from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Tehran and receiving the first-class cultural medal, he went to Paris to continue his studies. There, alongside painting and sculpture, he also studied “art history, stylistics, history of civilization, sociology, and clothing,” and this view gained a scientific and theoretical foundation. It was this store of knowledge that, after his return to Iran and his laying of the foundations of the new art movement, led him to base his work on honoring the national heritage and understanding the cultural roots of Iran.
Because of his belief in the indigenous culture and historical authenticity of Iran, he never distanced himself, in creating his works of art, from the environment, culture, and life of the people of his own society, and he always emphasized this view:
“An artist is someone who recognizes the identity and personality of their society and introduces it, and we do not know our own culture! The level of culture of any artist depends on the extent of their benefit from society, which is of course accompanied by variables, and amid these changes, the entire effort of the thinkers, purposeful individuals, and artists of the society is to attain a rich culture. We have carried the best traditions with us to this day and cannot find ourselves devoid of traditions. The artist, in their cultural domain, draws inspiration from traditions and creates content.”
On the basis of this view, Master Ziapour devoted more than half a century of his life to continuous research in “folk culture,” “the history and structure of clothing,” “ornaments,” “decorative motifs,” and “the linguistics and dialects of Iran’s peoples.” His research was not confined to the study of written sources; for many years he bore the hardships of long journeys and traveled, riding and on foot, throughout Iran, from the northern coasts and the southern islands to the eastern and western regions, and from the desert and the mountains to nomadic areas and remote, hard-to-reach villages, examining and recording at first hand the colors of the surroundings, the way of life, the customs and traditions, the dialects, and the clothing of Iran’s peoples.
The distinctive feature of Master Ziapour’s research method was that he linked his field findings with archaeological evidence (such as ancient images and reliefs), with ancient literary and historical texts (especially Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh), and with the etymology of local words and terms. In his studies of the clothing and ornaments of each period or region, every component of the clothing is described in detail and, as the subject requires, documented with photographs, precise black-and-white and color drawings, and technical cutting and sewing patterns. The fruits of these efforts were not limited to the writing of reference books and university teaching; in administration and museum work as well, through his headship of the Museum of Anthropology, the exhibitions he staged on the folk culture of Gilan and Khorasan, and his supervision of the exhibition of Iranian anthropology in Paris, they led to the introduction of the culture of Iran’s peoples.
At the same time, these research journeys and his attachment to the culture of Iran and to tribal life were also reflected in his paintings and became one of the most prominent features of Master Ziapour’s personal style. Enduring paintings such as “Life of Tent-Dwellers,” “Turkmen Girl,” “Quchani Kurdish Woman,” “Kurdish Woman of Sanandaj,” “Zeynab Khatun,” “Lur Girl,” “Kal Amir and Golbahar,” “Baluch Woman,” “Bandari Woman,” “My Husband Applies Henna,” and many other works of his bear witness to this research foundation; works that, in practice, gave concrete form to his theories on the evolution of painting on the basis of the national heritage (put forward from the Iranian year 1327 [1948–49] onward).
The record of Master Jalil Ziapour’s activities and works in anthropology and in the cultural and historical study of Iran is arranged in the following four sections:
1. Activities and Responsibilities
1946 - Comprehensive study of the sciences related to his specialization, in “art history, stylistics, history of civilization, sociology, and clothing,” in Paris, alongside his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the atelier of Master André Lhote, and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.
1955 - Head of Cultural Relations and member of the Permanent Council of the Abyaz Palace Museum.
1956 - Field study of folk culture in Gilan Province and staging of an exhibition on the general condition and way of life of the people of that region at the Abyaz Palace Museum, at the request of the General Administration of Fine Arts of the Country.
1956 - Head of Audiovisual Art Education, and researcher of decorative motifs in the eastern and southern regions of Iran; travel to Sistan, Baluchestan, Kerman, Fars, and the southern islands, and, in all, three years of research journeys to every region of Iran to study folk culture and art.
1957 - Head of the Exhibitions Administration in the Administration of Museums, and researcher of decorative motifs from the southwestern to the northwestern and central regions of Iran (including the northern provinces, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Kurdistan, Kermanshahan, Hamadan, Azerbaijan, and the desert regions).
1958 - Investigation and study of the life and art of the people of the Khorasan regions, research journeys to that region over four years, and staging of an exhibition of the folk culture of that land, at the request of the General Administration of Fine Arts of the Country.
1962 - Representative of the General Administration of Fine Arts of the Country in the stamp commissions of the General Post Administration of Iran, with guidance and collaboration in creating new stamp designs.
1964 - Start of research on the paintings of the holy shrines of Gilan (from Astara to Tonekabon).
1966 - Head of the Museum of Anthropology and representative of the Ministry of Culture and Art in meetings of the executive committee of the Montreal exhibition, Canada.
1967 - Travel to Germany (at the invitation of its government) to visit that country’s cultural and artistic facilities, and travel to France to supervise the exhibition of Iranian anthropology in Paris.
1973 - Assigned to research at the “Ferdowsi Shahnameh Foundation” on clothing, war gear, and the manner of their use on the basis of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.
1973 - Start of teaching the history of dress at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Tehran.
1979 to 1999 - Teaching art history, sociology of art, and costume design at the University of Art, Alzahra University, and Tarbiat Modares University.
2. Books and Studies
1954 - A study on the general condition, habitation, and customs of the people of Qasemabad, Gilan, approximately 280 pages.
1956 - A study on the Aryans and the manner of their migration to the Iranian Plateau, approximately 215 pages.
1958 - A study on the garments “Aba,” “Arkhalig,” “Yal,” and “Kolcheh,” commissioned by the “Encyclopaedia of Iran and Islam,” University of Tehran, 23 pages.
1964 - Ancient Clothing of Iranians from the Earliest Times to the End of the Sasanian Empire, Publications of the General Administration of Museums and Folk Culture (Fine Arts of the Country), Tehran, 356 pages.
1966 - A study on the importance of fabric weaving among the Iranians of the Sasanian era and its continued influence, from the advent of Islam onward, among Muslims and others, approximately 210 pages.
1967 - Clothing of Tribes, Nomads, and Villagers of Iran, Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 307 pages.
1968 - Women’s Clothing of Iran from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Pahlavi Monarchy, Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 221 pages.
1968 - The Clothing of the Ancient Peoples of the Iranian Plateau (from before the Arrival of the Aryans to the Median Period), approximately 361 pages.
1969 - Women’s Ornaments of Iran from Antiquity to the Present, Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 537 pages.
1969 - Head Coverings, Hats, and Footwear Customary on the Ancient Iranian Plateau (before the Arrival of the Aryans).
1970 - Iranian Clothing from Fourteen Centuries Ago to the Beginning of the Pahlavi Monarchy Era (from the Early Islamic Period to the Late Qajar Period), Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 431 pages.
1971 - Achaemenid and Median Clothing in Persepolis, Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 234 pages.
1971 - The Clothing of Asho Zarathustra and the Mobads, approximately 255 pages.
1972 - Encyclopedic Dictionary of Gilaki Language Words, a comparative lexicon with the Kurdish and Lori languages, in Latin transliteration, of approximately sixty thousand words, unfinished.
1973 - A study on “Mount Alborz” and “Tireg-e Alborz” in the Shahnameh, approximately 195 pages.
1973 - A study on the clothing and war gear of the ancient Aryan people from the time of Kayumars (Adam, the Iranian father of mankind) to Jamshid Jam, approximately 290 pages.
1973 - A study on the ancient Aryans inhabiting Central Asia and the thought of the first human, approximately 180 pages.
1974 - The Medes and the Founding of the First Empire on the Western Iranian Plateau, Publications of the National Heritage Society of Iran, Tehran, 560 pages.
1974 - Decorative Motifs in the Land of Iran from the Earliest Times to the Median Era, Publications of the General Department of Writing of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 432 pages.
1974 - Introduction to Coloring in Iranian Artworks from the Earliest Times to the Safavid Era, Publications of the General Department of Writing of the Ministry of Culture and Art, Tehran, 162 pages.
1974 - A study on Rostam the hero (Iranian-Scythian) and the war gear of the people of the Sistan regions, approximately 180 pages.
1976 - A study on maritime transport in the Anzali Lagoon and the economic condition of the inhabitants of the lagoon basin (Gilan), commissioned by the High Council of Culture and Art, approximately 200 pages.
1976 - The History of the Clothing of the People of the Middle East and Medieval Europe, a work by Anto Sander translated from English, approximately 140 pages.
1977 - The play The First Human (Kayumars), compiled from the books Bundahishn, Tarikh-e Bal’ami, and Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh as sources, for the production of an animated film.
3. Research Articles
1968 - “An Examination of the Evidence on the Clothing of Iranians and a Review of the Writings and Views of Orientalists on the Subject,” Honar va Mardom magazine, no. 65, Esfand (February–March 1968), pp. 11–24.
1968 - “A Report on the Manner and Particulars of Clothing Decoration in the Time of the Medes,” Honar va Mardom magazine, nos. 67 and 68, Ordibehesht and Khordad (April–June 1968), pp. 35–43.
1968 - “Some Notes on Two Borderless Neighbors (Elam and Sumer),” Honar va Mardom magazine, nos. 74 and 75, Azar and Dey (November 1968–January 1969), pp. 13–19.
1969 - A series of 21 articles on women entitled “The Story of Woman from the Beginning to Today,” Tehran Mosavar magazine, from no. 1325 to no. 1355.
1969 - “The Aryans and the Manner of Their Migration to the Iranian Plateau,” Honar va Mardom magazine, no. 81, Tir (June–July 1969), pp. 7–13.
1969 - “Is the Fluted Hat Known as ‘Persian’ Exclusive to the Persians?” Honar va Mardom magazine, nos. 86 and 87, Azar and Dey (November 1969–January 1970), pp. 21–30.
1975 - “Kayumars, the First Aryan Human?” Honar va Mardom magazine, no. 149, Esfand (February–March 1975), pp. 44–47.
1975 - “Clothing and War Gear in the Shahnameh,” Honar va Mardom magazine, nos. 153 and 154, Tir and Mordad (June–August 1975), pp. 69–73.
1977 - “What Was the People’s Cultural Backing for Painting?” Rastakhiz newspaper, no. 623.
1977 - “Iran, the Model of Islamic Culture,” Rastakhiz newspaper, no. 819.
1977 - “Iranian Arts and the Extent of Their Flexibility in Entering the Islamic Era,” Bamshad magazine.
1977 - “Kerman and Its Prehistoric Pictorial Petroglyphs,” Honar va Mardom magazine, no. 183, Dey (December 1977–January 1978).
1978 - “Where Is Ferdowsi’s Mazandaran?” published in the book “Shahnameh Studies” (vol. 1), Publications of the Ferdowsi Shahnameh Foundation.
1982 - “The Composition and Coloring of Iranian Women’s Dress,” Cheragh book, vol. 4, Nobahar Printing House.
1995 - “The Clothing and War Gear of Gilan,” The Book of Gilan series, vol. 1 (under the supervision of Ebrahim Eslah Arabani).
1995 - “Motif and Image in Gilan,” The Book of Gilan series, vol. 1.
1995 - “Painters of Gilan,” The Book of Gilan series, vol. 3.
- A detailed article on the patterns of Kashan carpets, at the request of Dr. Haj Seyyed Javadi.
- A detailed article on the illustrators and painters of Kashan, for inclusion in “The Culture of the Land of Kashan,” at the request of Dr. Haj Seyyed Javadi.
4. Lectures
1970 - “The History and Culture of the Ancient Inhabitants of the Iranian Plateau Before the Achaemenids,” First Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1971 - “The Visual Art of Iranians of the Parthian Period,” Second Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1972 - “The Clothing of Iranians in the Parthian Period,” Third Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1973 - “The Attainment of Perfection by Visual Art in the Sasanian Age,” Fourth Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1974 - “Characteristics of the Visual Art of Iranians of the Sasanian Period,” Fifth Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1974 - “The Influence of the Civilization of Iranians of the Sasanian Period on the Arabs of the Jahiliyyah and Islamic Civilization,” Sixth Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1975 - “The Manner in Which the Visual Arts of Iranians of the Sasanian Period Influenced Early Islam and the Later Uses Made of Them by Muslims,” Seventh Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
1975 - “Ferdowsi’s Criteria in Presenting Clothing and War Gear in the Shahnameh,” Congress of “Iranian Studies”, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tabriz.
1975 - “Garshasp and Sistan,” Eighth Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Zahedan Municipal Hall.
1976 - “The Clothing of the Pishdadians,” Congress of “Iranian Studies”, Faculty of Humanities, National University of Iran (Tehran).
1976 - “Some Notes on the Legendary History of the Pishdadians and the Difficulties of Studying It as Legend,” Seventh Congress of “Iranian Studies”, Tehran, 21–27 August (published in “Collected Lectures of the Seventh Congress of Iranian Studies,” vol. 4, pp. 34–40).
1976 - “Attention to Environmental Conditions and the State of Art and Artists in the Last Fifty Years,” Tenth Congress of “Iranian History and Culture”, Tehran.
- “Kerman and Its Prehistoric Pictorial Petroglyphs,” Congress of “Iranian Studies”, Kerman (published in Honar va Mardom magazine, no. 183, Dey 1356 [December 1977–January 1978]).
1977 - “The Importance of the Social Cooperation of the People of the Land of Gilan in the Recent Past,” First Festival of the People’s Culture and Art, Isfahan.
1977 - “Acquaintance with the Customs and Traditions of the People Leads Us to the Depth of the Nature of Life,” First International Assembly of Iranian Folk Culture, Tehran.
1977 - “Where Is Ferdowsi’s Mazandaran?” First Scientific Assembly for the Discussion of the Shahnameh, Hormozgan Province (Bandar Abbas), 14–18 November (published in the book “Shahnameh Studies,” vol. 1, Publications of the Ferdowsi Shahnameh Foundation, 1978).
1978 - “The Mannaeans and Their Relentless Effort toward Freedom and Independence in the Azerbaijan Region,” Congress of “Iranian Studies”, Urmia.
