TEHRAN I was searching for a female painter.
There are a large number of respectable female painters, but I was looking for somebody different from others, somebody absorbed by painting due to her love for art. Finally I found her, a female Iranian painter who is free from materialistic desires, including fame. She did not receive the TEHERAN TIMES reporter easily, but when she did, she was so warm and kind.
She does not like to be in the spotlight. She does painting just for her own heart, not for achieving fame. This master of painting is nobody but Fatemeh Zohreh Manzouri. Born in 1956, Manzouri studied biology in Tehran. After one year of working for Education Ministry, she was hired in Foreign Ministry in 1980. Then she was appointed as Iran's vice consul to Germany.
She spent 6 years in Germany, where she did her job very well.
"After I returned to Iran, I heard a voice within myself.
I felt restless and couldn't continue my job in Foreign Ministry.
In spite of some promotions, I found it spiritless," she said.
Manzouri further said, "Day by day this mysterious force pulled me. Because I was thirsty, I went toward it quickly. This mysterious force was painting. I had some inclination toward painting since my childhood, but I didn't take it seriously." "I started painting seriously in 1989 and I stuck to that. I passed the 4-year course of painting in two years. After that I practiced on various styles of painting.
The last style which I practiced was miniature, a kind of Islamic mystic painting," she said, adding that she has worked on all painting technics with all means of painting. Speaking on her inclination at present, she said, "Now I am quite sure that I want to experience until the end of my life. The range of art is so extended that one cannot reach its end. Once I just wanted to read analyzes about art. But now, I don't want to establish relations with others, I want to be myself, without being influenced by others.
Now the spiritual trend of the development of man's mind and man's heart is important and interesting to me." "I feel there are realities in universe which can be received just by heart.
Every time I want to express the fervor and passion of my heart, and I have different pictures of this passion in different eras.
I don't want to follow a special style. I don't even want to think about a special style. "Critics may criticize me for such an attitude. During drawing I just follow the voice of my heart.
After completion of a work, it may be in the framework of a style or not. Regarding miniature, Manzouri said, "Miniature is a way of looking. It is an enriched approach. There is no perspective in such a painting, and that is because of its view which doesn't consider time difference. "Everything, whether it belongs to the past or the present, is drawn at the same level.
Colors are used in flat form without using shadow lines and making it multidimensional. Most of the movements of lines are curved.
Such paintings are full of curved movements which are named Eslimi and are infrastructure of gilding. Such an attitude is inspired from spiritual trend of the nature in which everything is on a circle. Because movement of the universe is on a circle.
"Miniature is a complete and perfect look at everything. It is like children's paintings. That is as if you look at things from above. You can see every object, in its complete form. It is like when you imagine a scene. At this time you can see everything with its full details and all of its angles.
" Manzouri went on to say, "Because miniature has risen from man's heart, it is quite close to and mixed with human nature." Oriental countries, in general, have miniature, but it was formed in Iran in a most complete form. On her motivation toward this art, she said, "I was progressing in the field of painting until Islamic art became separated from non-Islamic art. I studied about this difference and took more that eight years to reach a conclusion. Miniature was what I became interested in at that time.
" Manzouri recalled her master, Ali Rajabi, as one who is a researcher in miniature and has presented national and basic analyses. In response to the difference between Islamic and non-Islamic art, she said, "Art has emerged from man's spirit. Everybody has a pure and innocent heart. An artist is inspired from depth of his or herself. So no work is a bad work. I don't believe in differentiation between bad and good. No bad thing exists in the nature. Every art has its own beauties, but the most beautiful art, regardless of a special style, is one which is closer to man's nature and essence.
The reality of man's self is one thing. Anybody from any tribe, any race and any country comes to an end at one point. "They have different shapes and forms, but their fate and reality is the same. That is why styles are not bound to borders, and different styles are applied in any country. Styles are sometimes transferred from one country to another," she said, referring to Henri Mattis, a European painter, whose works are inspired by miniature. Regarding the effect of art on life, she said, "Art is a sweet internal world for me.
It is a haven and a safe place for me. When I start painting, I feel free from everything so that I cannot feel the passage of time. My mind is freed from my surroundings and life issues and problems." Manzouri recalled her husband, who is a dentist, as one who has encouraged her a lot and who shares similar views with her. "As I draw curved lines on a paper, my husband delicately works on his patient's teeth and he also draws curved lines on the teeth." She also referred to her four children, who are interested in art and work in different fields of art.
Manzouri believes that due to enriched and perfect attitude of miniature, most of the works drawn in this style are religious and spiritual. She believes that it is much easier to express spiritual subjects in this style. Manzouri has participated in four consecutive miniature biennials. She won the first prize in the last year's biennial. As she always tries to avoid publicity and fame, she has never organized any solo exhibitions. She now works for the Art Bureau of the Islamic Propagation Organization.
She is also a painting tutor, but she doesn't receive money from her students.
Manzouri believes, "Teaching painting to those who are art-lovers is pleasurable. Talking about money in such cases overshadows art and destroys everything."