Deceased artists, literati commemorated in Tehran

TEHRAN,March 11(MNA) -- A group of Iranian artists and literati came together in a meeting in Tehran on Saturday to pay homage their colleagues who passed away over the past year. Seventy-nine artists and literati were commemorated during the meeting, which was organized by the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF). “Nowadays, the fever of granting official medals and orders to artists and literati has increased,” IAF Managing Director Majid Sarsangi said in a short speech at the ceremony. “This is highly commendable, but artists need the officials’ regard rather than their medals or orders. They need to live without concern over their professions, their lives, or their health,” he added. He said that a number of the deceased artists and literati had hard lives. Several other lectures were also arranged for the meeting. “I often tell the young artists not to pursue art for wealth, because there are many easier ways to make money,” veteran filmmaker Khosro Sinaii said. “I also tell them, ‘leave art if you want to gain fame via art, because the fame will turn into trouble after a short time. But, if you want the elevation of soul, select art,’” he added. “After their death, artists leave their works to keep life beautiful and to refresh the human being,” graphic designer Ebrahim Haqiqi said. “So, let’s think of the artists when they are still alive,” he added. The ceremony went on with a speech by Iranian Theater Forum Managing Director Iraj Raad lamenting the officials’ empty promise of establishing a center to offer medical services to artists and literati at lower price. The artists planted a number of trees in the courtyard of the IAF in memory of their colleagues at the end of the ceremony.