Today, I would like to speak with Mr. Malool about his artistic activities. His face is joyful and his eyes are bright.
If no one were to know that he is a rationalist, this expression would not betray any signs of the stern and firmness of his rationalism.
Today Mr. Malool seems like a lover who saunters with all his being amid soft clouds, in the clear and pure sky of art. Although he has a rationalistic and philosophical outlook on “love,” he severs it from its a poetic position towards philosophical themes and thus defines it based on philosophy, however, we do not currently see in him any signs of a rationalistic or philosophical outlook towards love; he is all enthusiasm, excitement and passion.
He claims, “In childhood and at the beginning of my young adulthood, when I was poor, I had many lovers: the morning breeze; the blue and purple trumpet flowers in the small garden of the courtyard; the shimmer of moonlight over the clear stream of water flowing through the small trenches beneath the spring morning twilight; the poised curve and unrivaled line of the pigeons from their beak to the tip of their wings; the true colors of pure red, blue and green; the shine of a broken off bottle base when pulled out from the mud and wiped clean; the grace of thirst and the joy of being quenched; sweet tastes and the scent of roses and damp earth; the cooing of pigeons and the song of nightingales and even the caws of crows and the barking of dogs; the rainbows of a rooster’s wing; the eyes and mouths and the antennae of grasshoppers which resembled the heads of bulls; frosty trees on cold winter mornings; the joy of bread and sweet breakfast tea; the pouring sweat of childhood play; secretly loving the neighbor’s daughter whom I had not seen except for the tip of her nose through the opening of her chador; the supporting look of my father who believed in me and the encouragements of my mother who was sure I would make something of myself; the arabesques and branches and leaves and shah abbasi and khatai flowers of carpets and the tile-work of mosques and the mirror-work of shrines; the pleasure of Friday afternoon sorrows… these were all my lovers for I loved everything.”
Now at the age of seventy, he utters something seemingly strange, “the value of a work of art imitation are equal to those of the original.” I am first surprised at this opinion. How is the value of a work of imitation equal to that of the original? However, the more I think, I realize that what he means is that if a work of art is imitated via an exact and excellent copy, then that copy will expose all the artistic characteristics of the original within it. I now realize that he is right and say this to all refined individuals lacking the means to purchase expensive originals, “You can purchase inexpensive copies of your favorite artwork, hang them in your homes and be happier with them than the owners are with their originals as long as you consider refinement a result of art and culture and not that of wealth.”
The bonding with nature that he experienced and enjoyed as a child, and the observance of the depiction of nature in art, created in him a fondness for works of art.
Simultaneously with the increase of his financial capabilities, he visited many renowned museums across the world and saw many works of classic architecture. But his focus has always been on the carpets and rugs of Iran, the engraved silverware of Esfahan, flowers and nightingales, miniatures and illuminated manuscripts. He says, “I have looked at several thousand rugs but never glanced, I have observed and observed well.”
After about forty years, he came to own one of the largest collections of fine Persian carpets and also a collection of exquisite engraved silverware. He gifted his carpet collection worth millions of dollars, to the National Carpet Museum of Iran for all to enjoy and created the Baharestan book site, so that everyone could have free access to this fine book. And on this site, he is creating a virtual museum of fine Persian carpets and engraved silverware collection so that everyone can enjoy seeing these excellent and rare examples of valuable artifacts.
Mr. Gholamali Malool, has always had an affinity for poetry and literature.
He says, “I have been host to Ferdowsi, Hafez and Nezami on many nights. They have been my most valuable friends during my life.”
He does not even have several verses of poetry memorized, however, he claims that he has read the entire Divan of Hafez several times and has thrice read the best interpretation of Hafez by Maestro Hossein-Ali Heravi published by Mr. Amir Nasser Banki. “I have read many sections of the Shahnameh and have read several sections of it several times and cried many times with the story of Rostam and Sohrab and that of Fereydoun. I have many times praised the bravery and heroism of Rostam. I have read every verse of Khosrow and Shirin and Leili and Majnun and in doing so have both cried tears of sadness and felt moments of joy. Although I have read many sections of the Masnavi, however, I do not share Rumi’s ideology and have never considered him a companion of my soul.
According to Malool, “The classic literature of Iran is the most important and valuable aspect of its national culture and if Persian poetry were to be translated in such a way to transfer not only its meaning but also its essence, then Iranians could be proud of their poetry across the world.
“Memorizing poetry is a fine act but it is more suitable for those who wish to use poetry in their speeches or consider themselves the interpreters of the Divans of Hafez and Ferdowsi. I see, smell, touch, taste and enjoy poetry.“
If I did not know the literature of Iran, I would not have been able to elucidate the stories of carpets 110 and 117 of the Baharestan book. To see these carpets refer to pages 140 and 176 of Baharestan.