ART IN THE CROSSFIRE Rising From The Ruins Of War The True Story Of Afghan Artist Abdul Shokoor Khusrawy

By Abdul Shokoor Khusrawy

Art in the Crossfire: Rising from the Ruins of War the True Story of Afghan Artist Shokoor Khusrawy. This book is about the bitter memories of Artist Shokoor Khusrawy in Afghanistan during the war. More than two hundred paintings have been printed. It also mentioned the situation of Afghan women and children. The paintings are all done in Realis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abdul Khusrawy
• Release date: Jul 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781959483472

Book preview

ENDORSERS

THREE PRAISE LETTERS ABOUT SHOKOOR

Praise Letter (1)

TRANSLATION:

A friend of the arts and a high-ranking painter of the homeland, Mr. Shokoor Khusrawy is a former deputy director of the national gallery of the beautiful city of Kabul, Afghanistan. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University. He is highly regarded among our compatriots in Afghanistan. He has shown his art in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and in the United States, and has received numerous awards. He also has authored calligraphy books (Mir Masjidi Khan). Shokoor is a very serious patriot and a talented artist in calligraphy, music, and poetry. He loves painting in different media, such as expressionism, modern abstract, surrealism, and watercolor. Using a palette knife, he creates very beautiful and charming paintings. Some of his paintings are portraits of prominent personalities of the country and of history. He has more than a thousand pieces of paintings in different styles. Khusrawy has been an active participant in art exhibitions in Afghanistan and has repeatedly won awards and letters of appreciation.

Sincerely,

Murtaza Padais, former student of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University; artist and author of A Diary on Canvas published in 2012

Praise Letter (2)

Shokoor Khusrawy is a renowned multitalented Afghan artist whose amazingly attractive artwork has impressed many art lovers not only in Afghanistan but also internationally and interculturally through social media, art galleries, and exhibits. I became familiar with Shokoor’s unique paintings about three years ago when I was a guest at the presidential palace in Afghanistan (Kabul Arg). I noted his delightful painting hanging on the wall of the reception hall, representing a shepherd following a sheep herd in the Hindukush foothills.

Shokoor’s work represents a wide range of styles and schools, from abstract to realism and impressionism. For instance, his painting titled Garden appear to follow George Suret’s post-impressionist style; for his

painting of Herat Citadel, he followed the realism works of Edouard Manet; and the painting of refugees appears to follow J. M. W. Turner. In addition, in many cases his art pieces exhibit the ordinary life of the people of Afghanistan under extraordinary challenges. Several of his exquisite works using oil, watercolor, and pencils epitomize and signify the history, architecture, and also the beauty of nature (for example, the old bazaar of Kabul, Herat Provence, the village people, the escape of migrants, Pamir, the valleys/landscapes, and several others).

Shokoor’s delightful work of art greatly appealed to me and my husband, Dr. ǫayoumi (president emeritus of San Jose State University), and we invited him along with several other Afghan artists to our foundation’s (Armghan Foundation) art show in December 2018. It has been our pleasure and honor to recognize him and introduce his artwork to lovers. Art gives us the underpinnings for responsible citizenship as well as widens our horizons. It enables us to escape the limitations in nature and empowers us to seek change through our imagination. It addresses permanent human concerns. Art is our fingerprint in the world. Art connects humans with their humanity. Individuals like Shokoor is playing a significant role in this area.

Indeed, Shokoor’s unique pieces of art are like valuable jewels and treasures that are timeless. We wish him lots of success in his future contributions and many congratulations on publishing his new art book. As a poet and having an incandescent passion for art and culture, I believe that art transcends borders and cultures. Truly, life becomes more beautiful with a creative vision.

Sincerely yours,

Najia Karim, BS, EdM (founder of the cultural society of Afghan women in SF Bay)

Praise Letter (3)

It is my pleasure and an honor to be able to endorse Mr. Shokoor Khusrawy a very talented and exceptional Afghan Artist. His creativity, skill, ability and originality of the depicted theme and the quality of his artistic composition has earned him many awards in Afghanistan and has gained prestigious recognitions here in the United States.

Mr. Khusrawy’s Artworks has been exhibited at the Afghan community, public libraries, Galleries and in Afghan Coalition in Fremont. As the Executive Director of the Afghan Coalition, "a non- profit community-based organization that seeks to empower refugee

families, women and youth, both locally and in Afghanistan to build bridges between the United States and Afghanistan" I have been a supporter of Mr. Khusrawy’s mission to preserve Afghan Rich Artistic heritage and to bring people together for a better understanding. Mr. Khusrawy has participated in various Afghan Coalition events and has maintained an impressive relationship and cooperation with the organization that I and my team members always remain very grateful for. Mr. Khusrawy without question is one of the finest Afghan artist that I have known in recent years. His Art is a contribution and a great benefit to the work of Art. On behalf of the Afghan

Coalition, I would like to restate my sincere recommendation for Mr. Khusrawy.

Rona Popal

Executive Director

Afghan Coalition

9155 Liberty Street D-460

Fremont, CA, 94538

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IN THE NAME OF ALLAH

CHILDHOOD

Shokoor, a healthy and handsome little boy, was seven years old when he fell down from the roof of his house and broke his right femur. He had four orthopedic surgeries in Afghanistan, but it did not go well because of the lack of an advanced medical facility. Meanwhile, Shokoor was prescribed to take painkillers and strong antibiotics on a daily basis, which led to a kidney disorder and the loss of hearing on his right side.

Shokoor at age seven could no longer walk, play, or run with other children. His entire right leg, from his toes up to his hip, was covered with a cast. The cast was supposed to be removed after days or weeks, but his cast was there for months and months. The amount of discomfort of the cast—the burning, stinging, and swelling of the limb—caused an excruciating pain that he had to endure. When he cried, no one knew whether he was crying because of the pain from his broken femur, the swelling from the cast, or both. He was already prescribed with painkillers for the broken femur, but he was