SAEDNEWS: Iran’s Supreme Leader has revealed that Mahmoud Farshchian’s celebrated painting Ashura Afternoon moves him to tears every time he sees it, despite his deep familiarity with the religious narratives of Ashura. He praised the rare artistic power that can evoke such emotion even in those who know the stories intimately.
According to the Politics Desk of Saed News, on August 31, 1993, Iran’s Supreme Leader spoke about Ashura Afternoon, the celebrated painting by master artist Mahmoud Farshchian:
“Every time I have looked at Mr. Farshchian’s painting, which he gave me himself several years ago, I have been moved to tears — even though my heart is already filled with the laments of the morning and afternoon of Ashura. Who knows better than us what has been written, recited, and said about it?”
He continued:
“They say that people deeply familiar with such matters do not themselves cry; yet despite knowing so many elegies, Mr. Farshchian is reciting a lament through his art that brings us to tears. What a useful, profound, and meaningful art it is when an artist can create such an effect.”
