Memories with Sara Iravani
My design master
I would like to write about my design teacher, Ms. Sara Iravani, a remarkable artist. I took her class in 1990. Some students were older than she was, which facilitated our engagement in conversations. Age was inconsequential; what truly mattered to all of us was her teaching, her generosity, and her masterful approach to design and illustration. A year later, in 1991, Sara Iravani won the top prize at the International Exhibition of Children’s Book Illustrators in Asia.
She was petite, always cheerful, and full of energy. In her class, we had to work at lightning speed, with little time for rest. We practiced various designs and techniques, and our exercises were consistently engaging.
Our design class was always bustling with activity, and everyone was consistently engaged in their work. Sara Iravani never specified a particular number of designs, but my friends and I would create at least six hundred A3 and A2-sized designs each week. It became so prolific that Sara Iravani remarked, “Just show me your best ones.” Consequently, we continued producing six hundred designs but selected only ten to present in class. In fact, a group of us would gather at each other’s homes daily to create around a hundred designs. Most often, we convened at my place. Occasionally, with Ahmad Menzavi and his motorcycle, we would transport our design materials and watercolor paints to the Zayandeh River, where we would work on A2-sized paper outdoors. We would labor from four in the afternoon until ten at night, undeterred by the darkness and mosquitoes. For today’s generation of students, this may sound more like a story than a reality. Back then, we would purchase paper in bundles from the “telephon khane” alley, cut it into A2 and A3 sizes, and distribute it among ourselves.
At that time, I was teaching art to children at several centers, and since Sara Iravani possessed expertise and experience in children’s art, I sought to learn from her. She generously shared her insights and experiences with me. I developed a close relationship with Iravani; even after our initial meetings, I would occasionally visit her in Tehran without prior notice. We also maintained correspondence, and I would pose my questions through letters. I recognized her extensive knowledge and understood that I had much to learn, so I would write to her, and she would respond with remarkable patience.
Iravani and other professors at that time possessed a psychological understanding of their students, enabling them to provide guidance tailored to each individual’s personality and inclinations. This approach was a continuation of the teacher-student relationship, which professors like Mohammad Ibrahim Jafari and Hassan Aghili emphasized. They sought innovative ways to better comprehend the students’ mental tendencies. For instance, I recall Farshid Maleki, in his Basic Visual Arts class, utilizing squares, triangles, circles, and their combinations as tools to gain insights into the students’ personalities. He would clarify that this method was not definitive, but the perspectives it revealed were significant to him.
I recall taking a history class with Habibullah Ayatollahi. Since Ayatollahi taught at various universities and frequently traveled throughout Iran, his first class was always engaging. However, from the second class onward, the content tended to repeat itself. To combat this monotony, I began asking questions during each session to encourage him to elaborate more in his responses. Only a few of my friends noticed my strategy. This approach continued until the end of the semester.
There are various types of questioners. Some individuals ask questions knowing the answers, merely to prove others wrong. These questioners tend to disregard what others say and focus solely on identifying mistakes. In university, I refer to them as “one-book students, who have read a single book and believe they possess all the knowledge. Conversely, there are those who genuinely seek answers and listen attentively before posing their questions. I strive to be among the latter group, and I continue to do so.
When we saw Sara Iravani’s photo in Maryam Zandi’s book on artists, learned that she had become the leading children’s book illustrator, and viewed her works at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, we, as her students, were all filled with delight.
