Ali Banisadr, "Interrogation," 2010, oil on linen, 48" x 60"

Though the painting is abstract, I had no doubt that it was about war. Using myriad fine details, the swirling movements and colors evoke powerful feelings. As I looked at it, among the silvery shapeless shapes, I saw the clash of armies of armor-clad horsemen and heard the cries of humans. Even the smoky sky felt like a war zone. It is the genius of the painter that the viewer’s imagination becomes an inseparable part of the work. It suggests a million dialogues and relationships, all in a war-torn world.

Banisadr grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. This experience has become part of his personal history that he strives to communicate with his art. The war, which lasted from 1980 to 1988, was the longest conventional war of the 20th century. This painting connects people to the emotional impact of a brutal conflict that is relatively unknown in the West.

When we look at art from different cultures, we gain insight into the experiences of those societies. Exported into a larger world, these works become universal in their meaning and part of our global heritage. In California, like nowhere else, the effects of this emerging global connection can be seen. People from every corner of the world come here in order to be themselves and to become who they want to be. Operating in a mix of many cultures, they create and are changed, transmitting their new identities to their place of origin. This acts as a catalyst for a globally integrated society.

The increased pool of shared knowledge, along with technological advances in manufacturing, has set the stage for what economists call the Third Industrial Revolution. Innovative tailor-made products are created without large capital expenditures. The resulting highly dynamic economy challenges the status quo represented by government regulations. The equilibrium between disruptive technologies and the laws governing the countries in which they are launched will need to balance the desire of individuals for freedom against the interests of the dominant players. This new global order will require a fresh understanding from those who seek to succeed in it.

Jeremy Sutton, "Yurong," 2011, mixed media on canvas, 24" x 30"

From the Exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier

From the Interrogation of Banisadr and Gaultier’s fashion creations, to individuals making innovative discoveries, the concepts challenging existing laws help the world advance.
To join us for the panel discussion on May 31, please register here: http://insead-assas.eventbrite.com

In Persian culture the beginning of Spring is Nowruz, the major holiday of the year. Persians everywhere get together on this date to celebrate the start of a new year. It is a time for Spring cleaning, visiting relatives and close friends, and exchanging gifts. A traditional part of Nowruz is the Haft-Sin.

The Haft-Sin is a table setting in which seven items whose names all start with S are laid out in an attractive composition. They symbolize life, health, wealth, abundance, love, patience and purity. Also included is a bowl of water containing goldfish, representing life within life, and alluding to the position of the Sun in Pisces. The tradition is a very ancient one, dating back to Zoroastrian sources.

Adriana Ippati-Torrens, “Koi Among the Water Lilies”,28” x 21”, watercolor.

At times many people including myself are faced with family issues or other sad events. In those moments, we can create an image of beauty, when we do not have it. We can paint the allegory of Spring as did Botticelli, or paint a Haft-Sin like the one by my cousin Roshan Houshmand below.

Roshan Houshmand, “Haft Sin”, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches.

Roshan Houshmand, "White Rabbit," 30 x 30 inches, oil on canvas, 2011.

She has just returned from a stay in India and her most recent paintings will be on view at Booth 168 at the NY Art Expo in March.

The date of Nowruz is the Spring equinox but the calendar in Iran is not a simple matter. It changes based on who is in power. In 1976, the Shah changed the year from 1355 to 2535 but the revolutionary government changed it back three years later. The official Hejri calendar is solar, and very accurate, but the Islamic lunar calendar is used for religious dates, and the Western calendar for International events. As a child, I was never sure exactly when anything was going to happen! The best solution is the countdown calendar by the artist Kourosh Salehi.

Kourosh Salehi, "Countdown," mixed media on canvas, 1.5m x 2.2m.

One of my best memories is when I would taste the juicy red seeds in a pomegranate. And this pomegranate painted by the artist Kourosh Salehi reminds me of that. In Persian mythology, Isfandiyar eats a pomegranate and becomes invincible.

Kourosh Salehi, "Lost in Transportation," mixed media on canvas,1m x 1m.

Many artists have celebrated Spring including the French Singer, Manou Chao with his music Primavera.

What time is it my heart?
What time is it my heart?
What time is it my heart?
What time is it my heart?

What time is it in England?
What time is it in Gibraltar?
What time is it over there in Fisterra?
What time is it hey Bye bye Bom?
What time is an entire life?
What time is it in Japan?
What time is it in Mozambique?
What time is it in Washington?
They fooled us Bye bye Bom!
They fooled us with Spring!
They fooled us Bye bye Bom!

BOMBALA BOMBALA BOMBALA…
BOMBALA BOMBALA BOMBALA…
BOMBALA BOMBALA BOMBALA…

What time is it my heart?

Mehmooni

Professor Khalessi has a passion for his material. His hands move like a conductor when he reads a verse and the light in his eyes reflects his joy. We are studying Sohrab Sepehri, the Iranian poet and painter. I have just joined the class and have far to go to master these profound works.

Sepehri brings me back to my childhood. My dad used to communicate to me in poetry. When he wanted to convey an important idea, I had to get it through a poem. He wrote in the calligraphic style called khatte shekasteh. I had to read the letters many times just to unravel the words. Compared to that, this class seems easy because Professor Khalessi is there to help.

The poetry makes me reflect on my roots and how I have changed. Sepehri writes about freeing oneself from the distractions of the world to develop the human spirit. He emphasizes an appreciation of nature and a serene view of life. His words lead me on an introspection into my own identity, and help me to separate what is important from what is not. The simplicity, the humanity, the tenderness and wisdom in these poems embraces me and warms me to the point that I am overwhelmed.

Shafinury and Tehranosaurus

A performance Friday night at Stanford’s Cubberley Auditorium was a perfect complement to reading Sepehri’s poetry.
Fared Shafinury, the Iranian-American musician, performed with his band Tehranosaurus. The room was packed. Shafinury’s work blends the traditional Iranian musical system called radiff with contemporary Western forms. He plays the delicate ancient instrument, the setar, with virtuosity. His singing style is romantic, with unexpected pushes of energy from the percussive rhythm of the tombak and dohol . The fusion between the classical Iranian compositions and indie rock brings new urgency to the ancient forms.

Shafinury talked to the audience about the feelings underlying his song “Bani Adam” which is based on a poem by Saadi from his Gulistan.
This well-known verse is displayed at the entrance of the United Nations Hall of Nations:

Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of one essence and soul.
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.
If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain.

Four hundred years after Saadi, John Donne expressed a remarkably similar sentiment in his famous Meditation XVII:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

These ideas remain just as relevant today amid the world’s many conflicts.

“Beyond the seas,There is another land; Its windows open to the virtues of lights; On its roofs, doves constantly stare-at the soar of human mind
Its children walk, with their backpacks full of faith, hope and trust.”

I should not miss my next class as I have a long way to go.

Beyond the Seas
I’ll put up a boat,
and set it free off the shore.
I’ll let it take me away-from this eerie land,
where nobody calls up the sleeping heroes-
from their long, lonely trance.

I’ll put up a boat,
and set it free off the shore;
a boat with no net, a boat with no seine,
with my heart cleansed of wish for pearl.

I’ll sail away on the tides.
I’ll sing all along the ride.

Neither the blues of the deeps,
Nor the mermaids, the natives of the seas,
shall captivate me-from my solitary glide.
I’ll move on with pride.

I’ll sail away on the tides,
I’ll sing all along the ride:

“I’ll leave this eerie land behind;
in this land,Truth is forsaken, set aside,
here, no man recalls- how their heroes died,
here, of woman all but silence is denied.
I did not see a torch.
I did not see a loch.

I shall sail away-
for I am tired of the reign of opaque, thick panes,
I am longing for the crystal verse-
of an open space”.

I’ll sail away on the tides;
I’ll sing all along the ride:

“Beyond the seas,
There is another land;
Its windows open to the virtues of lights;
On its roofs, doves constantly stare-at the soar of human mind
Its children walk, with their backpacks full of faith, hope and trust.”

“Beyond the seas,
There is another land.
People there, they care:
for the call of a gentle hill,
for the feel of a brief dream.
Its soil listens to the song of your soul.
Its breeze, spreads in air-the full flavour of flight.

“Beyond the seas,
There is another land;
Its dawn is weightless, vast and white,
with the freshness of a bird’ first flight.
Its poets are heirs of water, wind and light.”

Beyond the seas,
There is another land:

I shall put up a boat,
I will put up a boat.

By: Sohrab Sepehri
Translation: Maryam Dilmaghani, September 2007, Montreal.

Snow White

As much as I could identify with Blanche Neige, I still felt lonely. I could not converse with her, and in contrast to her dramatic rescue, I had no instant way to change my own destiny. I felt better when I didn’t open that book again because it only took me away from pain for a short time. I needed to put the book down and deal with the realities. Ironically, closing the book and getting away from it made me feel better. I was not at the mercy of the story.

The memory of what I felt that day has traveled with me through time and place and today as I look back, I think differently. This book was the beginning of my fascination with creation.

Today, as I am reconnecting with old friends and creating new friendships, I see books from a new perspective. It is as important to discuss them with people as it is to read them. It is through this collaboration that we sort through the maze of ideas and feelings, and even find inspiration for new projects and advances. Maybe there are times when we just want to get away and our mute companions who do not argue with us or ask things from us can make us feel better. But in the long run, the lonely immersion in other people’s creative worlds can take a toll. I am changing my relationship with books and the seed of that was Blanche Neige. I am seeking the pursuit of ideas and stories through live communication created between the reader and writer, the common grounds for friendship and companionship, dialogue and finally the creation of my own plots.

This Sunday, I will be meeting with some friends to discuss the Tintin Book “The Crab with the Golden Claws” after we see the Spielberg movie “The Adventures of Tintin,” which is mostly based on it. The Belgian author and artist Georges Prosper Remi, pen-named Hergé, completed 23 comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983.

Voyage and discovery is central in all of Herge’s work. “The crab with the Golden Claws” was written in German-occupied Belgium during World War II. Hergé created the comic most likely to escape from those realities. He had to move the focus of Tintin’s adventures away from current affairs, in order to avoid controversy.

Looking at the Tintin comics, I get submerged in the stylized way Hergé draws the water, his fresh and clean palette of colors, the humanlike expressions in the face of Tintin’s dog Snowy, the lovely character developments and the amazing ability to express speed. He is famous for having created the “ligne Claire” style in which he uses strong lines and pays equal attention to every element. We will have a lot to talk about as we discuss Hergé’s art on Sunday.

Auguste Rodin; The Age of the Bronze

Rodin and America, Influence and Adaptation, 1876 – 1936 is currently on exhibit at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. It features the works of Rodin and the American artists he influenced. These artists include John Storrs, Gertrude Whitney, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alexander Calder, Edward Steichen and many others. His late drawings influenced John Singer Sargent’s drawings of nude figures. In addition to a wide range of Rodin’s work, the work of 42 other artists are on display, showing the influence of Rodin’s artistic innovations. This powerful exhibit gave me many things to think about but two elements particularly struck me, the setting and the idea of fragmentation.

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts

Rodin applied to the École des Beaux-Arts three times and his application was rejected. He finally applied to a less prestigious school that trained craftsmen rather than fine artists. Yet he became the most celebrated artist of his day. Rodin is credited with several innovations: the truncation of human body, which was intensively investigated by Edward Steichen and other American photographers, the dissolution of form, a more naturalistic approach to sexual subject matter, the use of unfinished surfaces, and the addition of powerful feelings of movement in sculpture. Rodin’s work was a tipping point in America’s transition from the academic tradition to modernism.

Of all his contributions, the introduction of the fragment as a complete work affected me the most. Rainer Maria Rilke says “It is left to the artist to make out of many things one thing, and from the smallest part of a thing an entirety. “ One can communicate powerfully, spiritually, and emotionally in a fragment.

Fragmented view of Rodin's sculpture

I have seen Rodin’s sculptures in the beautiful Musée Rodin in Paris. It is an elegant hotel particulier with elaborate boiseries in a lovely garden which contains many of the famous sculptures in natural settings. However I found the setting at the Cantor a perfect atmosphere to surround his works. The modern stair case and the clean lines of the windows provide a minimalist background that frames each sculpture and enhances it, bringing out the modern aspects of his work.

Staircase at Canot Arts Center

The way in which the artist reaches his goal is the secret of his own existence.—Auguste Rodin

Let us get a glimpse through Rodin’s existence by seeing this exhibit. I am leading a Meetup group called Les Bons Vivants. It is for French speaking people or those who would like to be involved with French culture. We will be meeting at 2:00 pm on January 7th at the Cantor Arts Center. Please join us.

The Medici Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg

I traversed the Luxembourg garden for many years during my studies at the Université de Panthéon Assas. The Medici fountain is centuries old. Its calm, unchanging presence always gave me a feeling of peace.

Université Paris 2, Panthéon-Assas

Just across the street, the bustling students hurry about the modern university.

The Carousel du Louvre on a rainy day

When most Americans hear the word Chantilly, they think of the 1958 rock and roll hit by the Big Bopper, Chantilly Lace.

But of course, Chantilly is really a town in France and near the town is the beautiful Château de Chantilly. Of all the many fine châteaux in France, this is my favorite.

Château de Chantilly

Château de Fontainebleau, interior frescoes

In April, 1671, Louis de Bourbon, the Prince of Condé, held an extravagant banquet at the Château in honor of Louis XIV. There were 2000 guests and the Prince spared no effort to make a good impression on the King. According to legend, his maître d’hôtel, Francois Vatel, grew so upset when the fish arrived late that he committed suicide by running himself through with his sword. It is also claimed that Crème Chantilly was served for the first time on this occasion. Whether this is true or not, it is indisputable that the Château became a symbol of refined food at a time when the French were raising cookery to a fine art.

Crème Chantilly is whipped cream sweetened with sugar and often flavored with vanilla. You might like to try it this Thanksgiving on your pumpkin pie. As you enjoy your food and company, be glad that you do not have the 2000 guests of the poor Vatel.

Eugène Delacroix; Liberty Leading the People

Delacroix’s well-known painting of Liberty leading the people captures the ideological ferment that has always been part of Paris in a single brilliant scene. The figure of Liberty is symbolic, yet she seems to fit naturally into the crowd, striding right out of the picture at the viewer. The fighters surrounding her represent the whole range of social classes, from the young bourgeois in his top hat to the masses of poor people. The young boy with pistols is said to have inspired the character of Gavroche in Les Misérables, which made such a strong impression on me as a child.
The scene commemorates the Revolution of 1830, but could apply just as well to many episodes in the long struggle toward democracy in France.

Delacroix's Atelier

The painting was at first kept out of public view by the French government, which considered it too inflammatory. Only after the revolution of 1848 was it finally put on display by the new ruler, Napoleon III. Today, it resides in the Louvre and is seen by millions of visitors.

In my imagination, Paris is dark and black just like scenes from Les Misérables, the 19th century Paris with black cobblestone streets, men walking in their black hats, a shabby Paris. I remember the tears running down my face when I was eight years old, reading the story.

Then came the Paris of the Steins, Leo and Gertrude, buzzing with the new ideas of Modernism and the art of Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne, and so many others. The walls of their apartment on the rue de Fleurus are crowded with paintings. The air is thick with the excitement of innovation and discovery.

Palais des Etudes; Cour vitrée

Paris, who are you? A shabby Paris? An avant-garde Paris? A Ritzy Paris? Drinks at the bar at Plaza Athenee have lights in them. Paris, who are you? The Paris of the cafes? La Palette, so close to the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, is the café where Cezanne and Braque drank. Now Lonely Planet ranks it number 1267 of 1466 things to do in Paris.

Pont Neuf

Delacroix’s passion was stirred by the struggle between the old and the new, and his own art was revolutionary in its technique. The same artistic struggle was carried forward by the Modernists whose work the Steins encouraged so effectively. When I am in Paris today, I still feel the conflict between the old and new. The energy that comes from it is what I love about this city.

Alexander McQueen's Exhibit at the Met; photo by Chez Mana

As I waited in the long line to reach the Costume Institute on the second floor, my eyes wandered over the artifacts in the Ancient Middle Eastern Art galleries. When I finally reached the exhibit, I was not disappointed.

I had not followed McQueen before but I found myself increasingly interested in what I saw. Among the wide assortment of his work on display, many reflect an aggression that confronts the viewer. His themes include gender, identity, nature and history. It was the last of these that affected me the most.

Arms and Armors gallery; photo by Chez Mana

McQueen’s parents were Scottish and he had strong patriotic feelings for his ancestral land. His collection Highland Rape was based on the Jacobite Risings and the ensuing Clearances: after suppressing the Jacobite uprising in 1745, the English began a policy of “clearing” the Scottish Highlands. This caused great hardship to the Highlanders and put an end to their traditional way of life. In McQueen’s words

This collection was a shout against English designers doing flamboyant Scottish clothes. My father’s family originates from the Isle of Skye, and I’d studied the history of the Scottish upheavals and the Clearances. People were so unintelligent they thought this was about women being raped – yet Highland Rape was about England’s rape of Scotland.

The dramatic Dress number 13, from his spring-summer 1999 collection, has an echo of the same theme. Inspired by installation artist Rebecca Horn, a model in a pure white dress on a circular platform is threatened by two robots that surround her and spray the dress with brightly colored paints. Model Shalom Harlow felt that this symbolized sexual submission, but I see a different interpretation.

The model has come between two technologically sophisticated competitors, who draw lines across her dress dividing the territory between them. She has no control over her destiny, reminding me of another English conquest. In the late summer of 1941, Great Britain and the USSR launched a surprise attack against Iran and quickly overran it. The scene of the two robots spraying and drawing lines on the white dress epitomizes that conquest to me. The purpose was to gain control of Iran’s oil and to secure supply lines into the Soviet Union. The occupation continued until the end of the war.

Arms for Man and Horse, etched steel, Wolfgang Groschedel; photo by Chez Mana

In its aftermath, Iran entered a turbulent political era. The old Shah had died during the war and his son took his place. The reformist prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh nationalized the oil industry, setting in motion a series of confrontations with Great Britain that culminated in his overthrow in a coup that was supported by the British and US intelligence services. Mossadegh’s foreign affairs minister, Hossein Fatemi, was executed. These events set the stage for the close association between the Shah and the government of the United States, which eventually unraveled in 1979. Perhaps there might have been a very different outcome if Mossadegh had been able to remain in power.

The Met is a fascinating place. It embraces 5000 years of human creativity. A visit to the Arms and Armor gallery on the first floor completed my thoughts on dress number 13. The armors were beautiful. There is art even in savagery.

Leaving the Met, I took a last picture of a worker on its beautiful roof.

Looking up at the Met; photo by Chez Mana