繊細な筆先で描く「スローアート」 イラン伝統美術の巨匠

【テヘランＡＦＰ＝時事】イランのアーティスト、モハンマド・ホセイン・アガミリさん（５１）は、繊細なタッチで作品に取り組む。彼は一つの作品に半年を費やすこともある。たった１本のゆがんだ線が、作品を台無しにしてしまうことを知っているからだ。（写真は、テヘランの工房で、作品を制作するモハンマド・ホセイン・アガミリさん）
　パソコン画面上では人工知能（ＡＩ）がグラフィックデザインを生成する現代において、何世紀も続くペルシャの伝統・写本装飾は、創造的過程を急かすことへのアンチテーゼだ。
　アガミリさんが繊細に動かす筆先には、天然の顔料が付けられる。紙の上には複雑な花模様や宗教的モチーフ、そして優美なカリグラフィーが高い精度で描かれていく。
　その緻密な図柄は何世紀もの間、写本や教典、勅令書の他、契約書や結婚証明書など多くの書類を彩ってきた。
　昨年、イラン伝統の写本装飾「タズヒーブ」は、国連教育科学文化機関（ユネスコ、ＵＮＥＳＣＯ）の無形文化遺産に登録された。アガミリさんはイランに十数人程度しか残っていない、タズヒーブの巨匠の一人だ。
　「かなりの忍耐力と正確さが求められる、とてもユニークな仕事です」と、３０年以上の経験を持つアガミリさんはＡＦＰの取材に応えた。
　「誰にでもできるものではありません」
　タズヒーブの歴史は、古代イランのササン朝ペルシャの時代にまでさかのぼるが、偶像崇拝を禁じたイスラム教の影響で７世紀以降に発展した。
　■オンライン上でのグローバルワークショップ
　ＡＦＰの記者が取材で訪れた際、アガミリさんは「シャムサ」と呼ばれるデザインに取り組んでいた。太陽を象徴的に表しているもので、抽象的模様と幾何学模様、そして花模様が絡み合っている。作品は幅５０センチほどだ。
　ラピスラズリやサフラン、純金などの天然顔料を中国から取り寄せて、４か月前から制作を始めた。６週間以内の完成を目指しているという。
　「純金は視覚的に強く訴えることができます」とアガミリさんは語る。「高価ですし、作品の価値を高めてくれるのです」
　近年、海外で関心が高まり、米国をはじめとして世界中の人々にオンラインでこの伝統美術について教え始めた。
　タズヒーブの未来に「２０年前は希望を持てなかった」と言うアガミリさん。
　「でも状況は変わりました。この芸術は、ますます人気が出ると思います」と話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/07/30-18:41）

Iranian artist Mohammad Hossein Aghamiri sometimes labours for six months on a single design, very carefully -- he knows a single crooked line could ruin his entire artwork.
In the age of AI-assisted graphic design on computer screens, the centuries-old tradition of Persian illumination offers an antidote to rushing the creative process.
Aghamiri's fine brush moves natural pigments onto the paper with deliberate precision as he creates intricate floral patterns, religious motifs and elegantly flowing calligraphy.
The exquisite artwork has for centuries embellished literary manuscripts, religious texts and royal edicts as well as many business contracts and marriage certificates.
Aghamiri, 51, is one of Iran's dozen or so remaining masters of the ancient illumination art of Tazhib, which was inscribed last year on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage.
It is a very unique job that requires a lot of patience and precision, Aghamiri, a veteran of the craft with over 30 years' experience, told AFP in his downtown Tehran studio.
It's not accessible to everyone.
Tazhib's non-figurative and geometric flourishes have traditionally adorned the margins of holy books and epic poems.
The artform dates back to the Sassanid era in pre-Islamic Iran but flourished after the seventh century advent of Islam, which banned human depictions.
Aghamiri says it often takes him months to finish one design and that a single misplaced stroke that disrupts its symmetrical harmony can force him to start over.
- Global workshops online -
When AFP visited, he was working on a so-called shamsa design, a symbolic representation of the sun, about 50 centimetres across with intertwined abstract, geometric and floral patterns.
He said he started the piece over four months ago and aimed to finish it within six weeks, using natural pigments such as lapis lazuli, saffron, gouache and pure gold, from China.
Gold has a very strong visual appeal, said Aghamiri. It's expensive and it enhances the perceived value of the work.
Aghamiri hails from a family of artists and artisans with a rich history in Iranian craft traditions including calligraphy, miniature painting and carpet design.
His work has been showcased in museums in Iran and in nearby Arab countries of the Gulf region where interest in Oriental and Islamic art continues to grow.
Eighty percent of my works are sold in the region, especially in the Emirates and Qatar as well as in Turkey, he said.
In recent years, Aghamiri garnered interest abroad and even began teaching the ancient art online to students from across the world, notably the United States.
Soon, he also hopes to hold workshops in Britain for his craft, which he says is fundamentally different from European illumination art, which flourished in the Middle Ages.
European designs, he said, are more figurative and can depict human faces, animals and landscapes, and often illustrate biblical scenes.
UNESCO labelled the Persian art of illumination as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2023, at the request of Iran as well as Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Twenty years ago, I didn't have much hope for the future of Persian illumination, said Aghamiri. But things have changed, and I see that this art is becoming more and more popular.