by The Tenth Commemoration of Master Jalil Ziapour, Barg Gallery, 10 November 2009
The ceremony for the tenth anniversary of the passing of Jalil Ziapour, held through the tireless efforts of Mr. Hassan Hamedi (managing director of the bi-weekly visual arts magazine Tandis) and titled “Commemoration of Master Jalil Ziapour,” was held at the Barg Gallery on 10 November 2009 from 15:00 to 18:00.
In this ceremony, which was the eighth art research session of the series of sessions organized by Hassan Hamedi and Barg Gallery, Parviz Kalantari (painter, writer), Touka Maleki (researcher, writer), and Abbas Mashhadizadeh (architectural designer, sculptor) spoke about Ziapour.
Parviz Kalantari
According to the visual arts correspondent of the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), the painter Parviz Kalantari, who on 9 November was speaking at the specialized art symposium at “Barg Gallery” about Jalil Ziapour, the father of modern painting in Iran, continued: Ziapour is considered the standard-bearer of modern painting in Iran. Contemporary Iranian painting in a way begins with the period of Kamal-ol-Molk, which, influenced by Renaissance art, came from Europe to Iran—which had no familiarity with such painting—and in this respect, it was considered a kind of transformation in the modern arena.
Kalantari stated: Modern art, as the art of the twentieth century after World War II, was launched through Jalil Ziapour, who had come to Iran from Paris. By establishing the “Fighting Cock (Khorus Jangi)” association, he had such an impact on the art students of that time that all of us thought we had to fight against anything that took the form of vulgarity.
Describing the atmosphere of the Fighting Cock association at that time as deeply intertwined, the painter remarked: When this group held exhibitions, things would lead to fights and arguments, and in a way, the traditionalists could not tolerate Ziapour’s words regarding modern art. Meanwhile, Ziapour had become known and created a stir in Iran by introducing the name of Picasso and the school of Cubism.
He noted: Opposition to modernity in Iran has a thousand-year history, but the strange thing was that a person like Ziapour, who is considered the father of modern art in Iran, underwent changes after a while.
In those years, Iran was shedding its skin, transforming in a way from the feudal period to national capitalism, and representative offices of various goods had been established in Iran. In parallel, with the arrival of Western cultural goods and modernity, representatives such as Cubism and others had been created in the country by artists.
Referring to Jalil Ziapour’s activities during this period, he recalled: Ziapour acted to pave the way for subsequent generations through this opposition to tradition. But he soon underwent a strange transformation and, like all great artists in history, was confronted with serious questions.
Interpreting these questions, Kalantari stated: Confronted with the questions of “Who am I?” and “What am I doing?”, Ziapour began numerous journeys to all parts of the country, and during these wilderness wanderings, he realized many things. For he had gone to see who he was and where he stood. On these journeys, he depicted the lives of tent-dwellers in his paintings, and I later saw examples of these works in the Museum of Anthropology, which was established through the efforts of Hannibal on Armaneh Street.
In another part of the session, referring to Ziapour’s journey to the city of Kerman, the painter recalled: At that time, Ziapour goes to the Ebrahim Khan Bathhouse and carefully depicts the Qajar-period frescoes depicting the battle of Rostam and the White Demon. While he is someone who fought against traditionalists for years, he conducts research in response to the question occupying his mind, and it is this very question that results in the brickwork patterns and structures of his paintings.
He noted: In another part of his travels, Ziapour becomes aware of the history and mythology of the land of Iran, and in line with these travels, in cooperation with the Department of Culture and Art of the time, he sets up provincial exhibitions without any shortcomings, and after that, he begins his cooperation with the “Shahnameh Foundation” alongside Behrouz Golzari.
He said: Attention to Iranian mythology directed Ziapour’s attention to the Shahnameh, but unfortunately, the work of this foundation did not last; and perhaps, had his activities continued, today we would be seeing unique works of the Shahnameh.
Kalantari stated: In the continuation of his research, Ziapour arrives at the history of Iran and scholarly activities, and at this very time, he publishes the seminal book “Clothing of Iran”. With precision and scrutiny, he analyzed the tailoring of these garments and compiled all the details of this field into a book; therefore, in my opinion, Jalil Ziapour is, in the truest sense of the word, an intellectual and a revolutionary artist.
At the end of his speech, the painter said: An intellectual is someone who lives by raising questions, just as Ziapour, throughout his life, was seeking answers to numerous questions, and in this respect, he is considered a revolutionary painter because he was able to discard old styles and create a new style.
According to ISNA, in another part of this meeting, Touka Maleki described the characteristics of Jalil Ziapour’s influence during his active years.
Touka Maleki
She stated: Jalil Ziapour has something new to say in his time and does not seek fights and conflicts; rather, like the other Fighting Cocks, he fights against regression, and in his era, he is active as the fighting cock of painting.
Maleki continued: Ziapour is one of the pioneers of modernist painting who, with courage, audacity, perseverance, and a spirited struggle, fights against the worship of the old and regression, and in the year 1949 introduces himself as the initiator of modernist painting and founds the Fighting Cock association, which was a pioneering collective in the artistic field.
This translator remarked in another part of her talk: At that time, all the conflicts between the new and the old were attributed to Nima and Jalil Ziapour, but were they, in the literal sense of the word, “fighting cocks”? The answer to this question is negative, because both were more conservative than to be considered real fighting cocks, and of course this explanation is not meant negatively, for they were the true and evolved continuation of the ancient form, and they broke a hundred obstacles on their path to show a new way to their companions.
This art researcher stated: Ziapour transforms the visual form cautiously, but he works in conditions where his followers are more Picasso than Picasso, and the requirement of their movement is considered to be going step by step. Because society at that time, and in the context of tradition, does not have the tolerance for conflict.
In the final part of her speech, Touka Maleki remarked: Ziapour created about 30 works from 1944 until his death, but among these, his works of the 1990s are considered more modernist than his other works.
In conclusion, Abbas Mashhadizadeh, also in very brief remarks while providing explanations regarding Ziapour, declared: I must point out a matter, and I take responsibility for what I have said.
It has been said in some places that the founder of the Tehran School of Fine Arts was someone other than Ziapour, but I declare here that Jalil Ziapour
Abbas Mashhadizadeh
was the sole founder of the Tehran School of Fine Arts in 1953, which was established in the Pol-e Choobi neighborhood of Tehran.
At the end of this ceremony, which was held in the courtyard of the Ein-ol-Dowleh Mansion, a 20-minute film about Ziapour was screened, and afterwards, the guests visited the exhibition of photographs and personal belongings of Ziapour, which belonged to his family’s archives.
You can read the texts of the speeches and articles by Parviz Kalantari and Touka Maleki in the “Memorial” section of the website.
Source: ISNA News Agency
