Iran Daroudi's Dinner Party; A 'Traditional Woman' Hosting Cyrus the Great

Host: Iran Daroudi Guests: Cyrus the Great, Ferdowsi, Rumi, Ibrahim Pourdavood, Forough Farrokhzad, and Zao Wou-Ki Music: Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg Dinner: Fesenjan stew Iran Daroudi, a renowned contemporary Iranian painter, passed away on Friday, October 29, at the age of 85. This extensive interview with Ms. Daroudi, first published five years ago on Radio Farda, is being republished in her memory. This week's host is Iran Daroudi, one of the most famous painters in Iran, whose name is intertwined with contemporary Iranian painting. Her works have received acclaim in Europe and America, and notable Western figures such as André Malraux, Jean Cocteau, and Salvador Dalí have praised her. Ms. Daroudi's style is closely related to surrealism, with a prominent element of light in her works. Although she has studied and lived in France for many years, she considers herself in love with Iran and states that what screams in her paintings is love for Iran, life, and humanity. Years ago, Ahmad Shamlu wrote a poem for her and asked her to depict freedom. Ms. Daroudi mentions that our ancestors created a tablet of freedom 2,500 years ago, yet we limit freedom in the 21st century. She has published her memories under the title "The Distance Between Two Points." Ms. Daroudi is very pleased that a museum named after her is finally being built in Tehran, where she plans to display her best works that she has preserved for this purpose. Several documentaries about her life and works have been made, including "Iran Daroudi: The Painter of Ethereal Moments" by Bahman Maqsoudlou. Ms. Daroudi lives in Tehran, and I spoke with her over the phone. Host: Iran Daroudi; A 'Traditional Woman' Hosting Cyrus the Great from Radio Farda. Ms. Iran Daroudi, welcome to the program. Can you please tell us who the five guests you would like to invite are? Cyrus the Great, Ferdowsi, and Rumi, whose connection I will explain later, Professor Ibrahim Pourdavood, Forough Farrokhzad, and the painter I admire, Zao Wou-Ki, who may not be known to all our compatriots. Thank you very much for the guests you have chosen. Now, Ms. Daroudi, I would like to know what music you would like to play for these guests that everyone would enjoy. My sister was a pianist and performed Grieg's concerto in Paris. In memory of her, who I lost 13 years ago, I want to hear this music. Ms. Daroudi: Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg. So you want to play the Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg for your dinner party. Now, Ms. Daroudi, let's talk about your guests. You mentioned Cyrus the Great as your first guest. What interest do you have in him, and what significance does he hold for you? I generally love the Achaemenid dynasty, which is the founder of Iran. I admire Cyrus the Great for his human rights... I value him as a human being and even more so as the founder of human freedom. I am proud to be Iranian and that someone from Iran established the law of human freedom 2,600 years ago. Throughout these 26 centuries, millions of people have been killed to attain even one of these rights, such as freedom of religious belief, meaning the freedom for a person to worship whoever they want without being imposed upon. You believe that what Cyrus accomplished 2,600 years ago has not yet been achieved by humanity, and you lament this fact, especially in our century. In our century, more than ever. Look at what is happening in America, where the president bans citizens from six countries and discriminates racially, let alone religious discrimination. This is an undeniable reality of human history. How many religious wars have there been so far? Your second guest is Ibrahim Pourdavood, who has conducted profound studies on ancient Iranian history. What interest do you have in Professor Pourdavood, and what connection do you, as a painter, have with a scholar of ancient Iran? Everything related to Iran is very valuable and dear to me. But I was fortunate to find my way to the home of Professor Pourdavood at the age of nine because he was a friend of my grandfather. I was lucky that Professor Pourdavood liked me and allowed me to access his library. I was not at an age to understand what he was doing and what his specialty was, which was the Avesta. I had no interest in that. Ibrahim Pourdavood (1885-1968): A contemporary Iranologist known for his expertise in the Avesta and the first Persian translator of the Avesta. The reason for the invitation: At a young age, I was fortunate to access his home. The character of this man and the fact that he allowed me to take any book I wanted from his library was interesting to me. Later, when I returned from France, I understood the importance of what Professor Pourdavood did to introduce ancient Iran to the world. I realized he played a role. This was one of the great fortunes of my life that I was raised to have a proper view of my homeland. I looked at my homeland correctly, and this is very important. Ms. Daroudi, your first name is also Iran... Fortunately... Especially since your family named you Iran to honor our country, how did they come to name you Iran? My father loved Iran, and I learned patriotism from him. We were in Germany during World War II, and when we reached Iran, I was five years old. My father told the driver to stop the car, got out, kissed the soil of Iran, and said, "I will never leave you again." Although he knew several foreign languages, he still preferred to work in Iran and always told me that it does not matter if you know French or other languages; what matters is that you speak your mother tongue correctly and learn who your ancestors were, where you come from, and recognize your identity as an Iranian. These were all lessons I absorbed from childhood. Now let's talk about Ferdowsi, our great poet, who has also made a significant contribution to Iran, and Rumi, whom you want to invite as two guests. Please tell us about Ferdowsi and Rumi, Ms. Daroudi. Ferdowsi and Rumi: Renowned poets of Iran in the 4th and 7th centuries AH. The reason for the invitation: Ferdowsi gave me my identity as an Iranian, provided me with the history of my country, and Rumi gifted me light and infused my paintings with his spirit. These two are essential and inseparable for me. Without my identity, without my way of thinking and outlook on life, I have no value. You see, Ferdowsi gave me my identity as an Iranian, provided me with the history of my country, and taught me that if there is no Iran, there is no body for me. Interestingly, I started my speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of my museum in Tehran with this. But Rumi gifted me light and infused my paintings with his spirit. These two are essential and inseparable for me. Without my identity, without my way of thinking and outlook on life, I have no value. Ms. Daroudi, how has Rumi's mystical poetry influenced your painting? You say he has infused light into your work; what has he done? Because his mysticism is about reaching the light. I have spent my entire life, especially since the age of thirty, when this style of painting emerged in my works, and before that, I was influenced by other painters. I realized how rich our mysticism is, and the most important element in it is light, which is another interpretation of God, and Rumi brought light into my paintings. Fortunately, I turned to Rumi when I could understand what I was reading and learning. The essential aspect of my painting is light. Your fourth guest is Forough Farrokhzad, one of our great poets. Please tell us why you want her to be at your dinner party, Ms. Daroudi. Forough Farrokhzad (1935-1967): Iranian poet and documentary filmmaker. Works: This House is Black (documentary), Rebellion, Another Birth, Let's Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season. The reason for the invitation: In my opinion, she is the only woman who did not deny her gender and valued her femininity, indirectly giving character to women. First of all, I love her very much as a woman. Although I am not very educated, especially in poetry and literature, as I spend my time painting, I believe she is the only woman who did not deny her gender and valued her femininity, indirectly giving character to women. Unlike poets before her, she did not view women from a male perspective. My criticism of Iranian literature in general is that it has always looked at women's hair and the bud of their lips and never thought that this human being possesses intelligence and wit just like men and is not different in creation. That is why I consider Forough a pioneer of women in Iran and women's freedom. She also suffered greatly for her pioneering role because society did not accept that a woman could openly discuss her desires and personality... You see, I have so much admiration for Forough that in a short section of my book "The Distance Between Two Points," I write about her: "The next time I see the sun, I will take a sign of Forough from it because the sun does not go to the banquet of the sky without Forough." When I wrote this, I cried hard. I said to myself that this water lily, for me, Forough is a water lily that does not accept water, not even dew; Forough accepts no guilt. She is so pure, transparent, and honest regarding women's freedom, intelligence, and wit. I do not differentiate between men and women, let alone consider women half of men. Forough Farrokhzad, who died in a car accident in Tehran in 1967, do you remember that day? Yes, yes, I was in America. Forough was two years older than me. At that time, Ferdowsi magazine published her poems, and she received a lot of vulgar insults; this remains vividly in my memory because I also received vulgar insults at the same time as a woman. We paid a high price for our womanhood. What a pity, what a pity, what a pity that her life was so short; otherwise, what would that woman have become today? She was only thirty-two when she unfortunately passed away. Now let's talk about your fifth guest, Zao Wou-Ki, a contemporary painter. Can you introduce him a little to our audience? Zao Wou-Ki (1921-2013): Chinese-French painter. Fame: Fusion of Balochi and pop music. The reason for the invitation: Zao Wou-Ki maintained his nationality in his abstract paintings. I was happy for him that he could express his nationality in his paintings and preserve his identity, and today, as an Iranian at the age of eighty, it is very important for me that a painter shows his national identity. You see, Zao Wou-Ki is of Chinese descent who moved to France with his family at the age of twelve. His works are precisely the opposite of mine, but I believe he was one of our greatest contemporary painters who passed away a few years ago due to Alzheimer's. Zao Wou-Ki maintained his nationality in his abstract paintings. You see, I had cancer and underwent surgery in the hospital. When I was in the hospital, I read that Zao Wou-Ki had an exhibition in Paris. I wished that if I survived, the first place I would go would be his exhibition, and when I went, I cried so much that everyone was surprised why I was crying. I was happy for Zao Wou-Ki that he could express his nationality in his paintings and preserve his identity. In Iran, there were painters who copied his works, and it really upset me because they only copied the surface of the matter without that authenticity and perspective. Zao Wou-Ki does not have a status like Chagall and others in France, but he will find it. Over time, he will gain recognition as one of the greatest painters in the world... I was a close friend of Salvador Dalí, who would come to my exhibitions and personally invite me to his exhibitions, and I love Dalí immensely. But I make a very difficult choice between Dalí and Zao Wou-Ki; I choose Zao Wou-Ki. I love both equally, but today...