Habibollah Sadeqi, veteran artist, has started work on an 80-meter long painting ‘Liberation of Khorramshahr’ that is to be displayed at the Panoramic Museum of Sacred Defense Operations.
“Sadeqi belongs to a generation who has kept the memories of the war days alive through his artworks,” IRNA reported.
May 24 marks the liberation of Khorramshahr in Khuzestan Province. The city, plundered by Iraqi forces during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war (known as the Sacred Defense in Iran), was re-captured by Iranian troops on that day in 1982, after 578 days of occupation by enemy forces.
The painting is composed of several pieces, which will be attached after completion, Sadeqi said, noting: “The painting is one of the most important works I’ve ever painted in the past four decades. It will be completed by May 2016.”
The painter criticized cultural officials for not valuing artists who lived during the war years and thus have experienced the tragic events personally. He said, “There is no program to support artists who wish to honor the sacrifices made by thousands of people to save their motherland.”
Sadeqi, 58, holds a master’s degree in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran and has received his PhD in art research from Tehran’s Tarbiat Modares University.
Initial studies for the Sacred Defense Museum project started in 2004. The first plan was approved after several meetings between the Tehran Municipality and the Armed Forces. A competition was held to select the best design for the museum. Over 250 groups participated and 42 were selected to submit their works. The winners were conferred prizes “for preserving the works and propagating the values of Sacred Defense.”
The ‘Beit-ul-Muqaddas Panorama’ was built in the eastern part of the museum, where works on the occupation, people’s defense, and liberation of Khorramshahr are displayed. It complements the Sacred Defense Museum.
If you enter the museum, you will find yourself in Beit-ul-Muqaddas Operation’s 3D simulation, which depicts the liberation of the key port city, and the bravery of the defenders and combatants.
