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Art & Culture
This Day in History
(January 24)
Today is Saturday; 4th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1393 solar hijri;
corresponding to 3rd of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1436 lunar hijri;
and January 24, 2015, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1939 solar years ago, on this day in 76 AD, Hadrian was born into a Roman
family in Spain. He succeeded Trajan as Roman Emperor in 117 and ruled
for 21 years till his death in 138 AD. He is regarded as one of the Five Good
Roman Emperors. Hadrian joined Trajan’s expedition against the Parthian
Empire of Iran as a legate on Trajan’s staff. Neither during the first phase,
nor during the second phase of the war when the Romans were repelled from
Mesopotamia or modern Iraq by the Iranians, did Hadrian do anything of
note. He surrendered Trajan’s gains in Mesopotamia, considering them to be
indefensible against determined Parthian pressure. There was almost a war
with Parthia around 121, but the threat was averted when Hadrian succeeded
in negotiating a peace with Emperor Osroes I or Khosrow.
890 solar years ago, on this day in 1125 AD King David IV, the greatest and
most successful ruler of the Caucasus land of Georgia, died at the age of 52,
after a reign of 36 years. He succeeded in driving out the Seljuq Turks from
most of the cities including Tbilisi, especially after winning the major Battle
of Didgori in 1121. His reforms of the army and administration enabled him
to reunite the country and bring most of the lands of the Caucasus under
Georgia’s control.
348 solar years ago, on this day in 1667 AD, the Treaty of Breda was signed
by Britain and Holland, according to which the latter handed over its colonies
in the newly-discovered American Continent. The most important region that
came under British control was the present day State of New York, which the
Dutch used to call New Amsterdam. In return, Britain gave to Holland part
of the region of Guyana in South America.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Leader
of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on
the Iranian university students to
amass knowledge while exercising wisdom, stressing that both of
those values should be associated
with piety and chastity.
In a message to the 49th annual meeting of the union of the
Islamic associations of Iranian
students in Europe, Ayatollah
158 solar years ago, on this day in 1857 AD, the University of Calcutta
was formally founded by the British colonialists as the first fully-fledged
university in south Asia.
85 solar years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Iran’s celebrated contemporary
painter, Mahmoud Farshchian, was born in Isfahan. He studied under the tutelage
of Haji Mirza-Agha Imami and Eisa Bahadori for several years. After receiving
diploma from Isfahan’s High School for Fine Arts, he left for Europe, where he
studied the works of the great western masters of painting. Consequently, he
developed an innovative artistic style with universal appeal. Upon his return to
Iran, he worked at the National Institute of Fine Arts and in time, was appointed
director of the Department of National Arts and professor at the University of
Tehran’s School of Fine Arts. All the while, word of his exemplary works spread
far and wide beyond national borders. He has held 57 individual exhibits and
86 group shows in Iran, Europe, the US, and Asian countries. His works are
represented in several museums and major collections worldwide. “The Museum
of Master Mahmoud Farshchian”, set up at Sa’dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran
in 2001 is devoted to the works of this master painter, whose works include such
paintings as the pathetic scene of “Sham-e Gharibaan” – evening following the
tragic martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) – Martyrdom of Imam Husain’s (AS)
infant son, Ali Asghar, and “Zamen-e Ahou” (Imam Reza (AS) and the Deer
Hunter), etc. He has designed the Zarih (the silver grill latticed enclosure of the
tomb of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala), as well as the roof, door and cellar in
the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad. Farshchian is the founder of his own
school in Iranian Painting, which adheres to classical form while making use of
new techniques to broaden the scope of Iranian painting. He has brought new life
to this art form and has freed it from the symbiotic relationship it has historically
had with poetry and literature, to give it an independence it had not previously
enjoyed. His powerful and innovative paintings are dynamic, expansive and
vibrant canvases with an appealing fusion of the traditional and the modern,
which are constituents of his unique style of painting. He’s the most modernizer
of the field of miniatures, an art form which was first established in Ancient
Persia and later spread to China, Turkey, India and other Muslim countries.
50 solar years ago, on this day in 1965 AD, British politician, Winston Churchill,
died at the age of 91. He entered the British army in 1895 and participated in
colonial wars. He was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative
Party MP, and later served as a minister in various positions, including war. He
was twice elected as Prime Minister – the second time during World War 2. He
authored several books, including “The World Crisis” in four volumes, and a
series of books under the name of “The Second World War”, in addition to the
“History of the English-Speaking Peoples”.
36 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, on reports of the imminent
return home from exile of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini
(RA), the Shah’s premier, Shapour Bakhtiyar, fearful of losing power,
ordered the closure of all airports in Iran. The people, however, continued to
hold demonstrations to demand the opening of all airports. Led by Ayatollah
Morteza Motahhari and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussaini Beheshti,
many staged a sit-in at Tehran University’s Mosque.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)
Khamenei underlined that no asset will be more valuable for the
country than the young students
who have gained knowledge
with those moral qualities.
The Leader said studying in
the foreign universities provides
an opportunity for the Iranian
young students to take a “deep
and wise” view at the world’s
events and phenomena, and will
also let Iran enjoy scientists
with a good understanding of
the world.
Ayatollah
Khamenei
also
called on the young students to
think about the reasons why the
West’s policies seek to promote
Islamophobia.
The message was read by the
Leader’s representative for the
students’ affairs, Hojjatoleslam
Javad Ejei, in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Friday.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,
Leader of the Islamic Republic
of Iran
Italian Sculptor’s
54thExhibition
Restored Work Unveiled
of Antique Books
at Tehran Museum
to Display Hafez Book
239 solar years ago, on this day in 1776 AD, the German author, Ernst
Hoffmann, was born. He had a strong sense of imagination and has left
behind a number of books, including “Strange Tales”. He died in 1822.
144 lunar years ago, on this day in 1292 AH, the prominent religious
scholar, Ayatollah Mirza Abul-Qasem Kalantari, passed away in Tehran. He
was a product of the well-known seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq, where he
studied under the celebrated Sheikh Morteza Ansari, attaining the status of
Ijtehad. He was highly influential among the people for his tireless efforts to
promote Islamic teachings in society. He also wrote several books.
3
Knowledge Should Merge
With Wisdom, Piety, Leader
Tells Iranian Students
276 solar years ago, on this day in 1739 AD, Iranian forces led by Nader Shah
Afshar defeated the Mughal armies at Shahdaula in Punjab and proceeded
towards Karnal for the final battle that saw the surrender of Emperor
Mohammad Shah “Rangileh”. Nader invaded the subcontinent in pursuit of
the Hotaki Afghan rebels and the failure of the weak administration in Delhi
to hand over these refractory elements despite his writing of several letters
to the Mughal Emperor. Nader Shah restored Mohammad Shah to the throne
of Delhi and returned to Iran with a huge booty that included the world
famous “Koh-e Noor” (Mountain of Light) diamond, the “Takht-e Tawous”
(Peacock Throne) and the Tent of Pearls.
156 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD for the first time oil was extracted
through drilling by Edwin Laurentine Drake in the US State of Pennsylvania
at a depth of 230-meter. The oil rig and other drilling equipment of this well
are kept in a museum in the US as symbols of emergence of the global oil
industry.
JANUARY 24, 2015
54th Stuttgart Antiquarian
Book Fair poster
STUTTGART (IBNA) - The second
major exhibition of antique books
and rare manuscripts will be held in
Stuttgart, Germany from 23 to 25
January, 2015 where Hafez’s Divan
will be viewed at the exhibition by
book enthusiasts and collectors from
around the world.
Over 80 professional booksellers from
Germany, Italy, U.K., U.S.A, Switzerland and Netherlands are showcasing
their collections in this exhibition which
is sponsored by the Association of German Antique Booksellers.
Also, a collection of poems by Octavian De St. Jelleh, illustrated by Jean
Pichore in 1494 in Paris, worth 760,000
Euros, is to be presented at this exhibition by Heribert Tenscher’s Bibermule.
The book ‘Clocks for Paris’ created in
1520 with 100 miniature illustrations
worth 340,000 Euros will be displayed
by the same collector as well.
Divan of Hafez, offered by Sulmy,
was created in 1576, on the scale of 231
x 160 mm, with black ink calligraphy
written between black, blue and golden
lines, and is offered at the price of 3,800
Euros to sell.
Book on Leader’s Views
Printed in US
to depict Ayatollah Khamenei’s global views and international issue of
oneness of God, Islamic civilization,
democracy and religion, Islam and
Christianity, private property in Islam,
and his addresses in meeting with university students and general youth.
TEHRAN (IRNA) - The restored
sculpture ‘Sphere within Sphere’, a
symbol of the Earth, by the renowned
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro was
unveiled at Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary Art on Monday (Jan 19).
Head of visual arts department at the
ministry of culture Majid Molla-Norouzi, Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro
Conciatori, Pomodoro Foundation representative Marco Meneguzzo, together
with a number of art fans attended the
event, ISNA reported.
Before unveiling the sculpture, Molla-Norouzi pointed out that “cleaning
and restoring this sculpture symbolizes cleaning the Earth and paying attention to the environment.”
He also stressed that Iran’s presence
at next year’s Venice Biennale, the
world’s best showcase for art, “will be
more outstanding as the space dedicated to Iran is 10 times that of the previous editions.” This provides Iran with
greater opportunity to present its rich
art to the world.
The Italian ambassador talked about
the historical ties between Iran and
Italy as two ancient cradles of art and
said: “Restoring the Old Italian sculpture by Iranians suggests the fine relationship between the two great civilizations.”
Placed among the exquisite collection of the museum works since 1977,
‘Sphere Within Sphere’ was exposed
to dust and pollution over the years;
thus the need for its restoration was
felt and led to its cleaning up process,
financialtribunedaily.com reported
Wednesday.
Explaining the absence of the sculptor on the occasion, Marco Meneguzzo said, “Pomodoro has turned 89 this
year, so he could not come to see his
sculpture being restored.” He also
noted that restoring ‘Sphere’, which is
like a son to the father, “has been the
best present received by Pomodoro.”
Born in 1926, Arnaldo Pomodoro
is a well-known Italian sculptor. He
has created a number of sculptures
which have been set and displayed
in various parts of the world. He has
created more than one ‘Sphere Within
Sphere’, which can be seen in different places across the globe including the Vatican Museums, Trinity
College, Dublin, the United Nations
Headquarters and Mt. Sinai Hospital
in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum
and Sculpture Garden in Washington,
D.C., Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, the de Young
Museum in San Francisco, American
Republic Insurance Company in Des
Moines, Iowa, the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio, and the
University of California, Berkeley.
In 1999 he founded Pomodoro
Foundation (Fondazione Arnaldo
Pomodoro) in Milan. Originally conceived as a center to document and archive the work of the artist, it opened
an exhibition space in 2005, hosting
works of prominent artists.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s vision of Islamic
Philosophical Theology and Praxis of
Global Peace” has been released by
Global Scholarly Publications.
WASHINGTON (MNA) – Iran’s
Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York has had the book
printed in New York.
The ceremony was also attended
by Professor Dr. Parviz Morewedge
the editor of the book Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei’s Vision of Islamic Philosophical Theology and Praxis of
Global Peace (Global Scholarly Publications), during which the book was
unveiled and signed by Dr. Morewedge, State University of New York
at Old Westbury Professor and the
author of many books on Islamic and
western philosophy.
The book is comprehensive and the
first of its kind in English on Leader’s
views printed in the US. It is a compilation of Ayatollah Khamenei’s views
expressed in different occasions, addresses, and articles during years of
career. In two sections, the book’s first
section depicts Leader’s views on oneness of God, humanity and ethics, the
nature of the art, women, Iqbal Lahori,
justice, and human rights. The second
section takes more grandiose issues:
Jurassic Park museum in Tehran – Iran
Courtesy: asriran.com