POMEGRANATE PARADE

Pomegranate is a berry. There is a special, almost reverent attitude to this berry in Azerbaijan. Although pomegranates are grown in many countries, it is in Azerbaijan that almost all of their varieties can be found - "Veles", "Shirin", "Guleysha", "Shihbaba". Yes, we are the only owners of all varieties of this amazing fruit which the people of Azerbaijan describe as the "king of all fruits" and consider a symbol of wealth, abundance and fertility. In European culture there is an opinion that the tail of a pomegranate became the prototype of a royal crown.

Pomegranate means optimism. It is no coincidence that a traditional pomegranate festival is conducted during the picking season in Goychay District of Azerbaijan. Goychay has been described as a pomegranate paradise for centuries. In the autumn days of October pomegranates are literally everywhere - they are handed out on the street, people tell fortunes on them, bake and fry them, etc. The peculiarity of local varieties of pomegranates include a heavy weight, a thin skin and large grains. People from all over Azerbaijan and beyond come to see the pomegranate paradise. It is extremely healthy and is a real source of strength that helps endure the cold of the upcoming winter.

One can look at the pomegranates for hours on end. It is beautiful, especially when it adorns the Maiden's Tower as part of a light show. For us, pomegranate is nothing special. We are used to it, while there are countries where it appears only in late autumn and costs like a delicacy.

Scarlet pomegranates of Ventspils 

These days, while walking through the streets, parks and squares of the Latvian city of Ventspils, one can come across ... cows. No, these cows do not perform their daily exercise, but simply please the eyes of local residents and numerous visitors. The cows are made of fiberglass, are very bright, attractive and always attract attention. They are part of the international art festival "The cow parade" annually held in the streets of major cities around the world. This year it was held in Ventspils.

During the art festival, life-size sculptures of cows are painted by artists and put in public places for everyone to see. Then the cows are sold at auctions and the money raised is spent on charity. This year's event was particularly interesting for us because it was joined by Azerbaijani artist Museib Amirov, who depicted a national symbol of our country, a pomegranate, on his cow. And, as the artist admitted, the Latvians have shown keen interest in his work. Almost every visitor of the square in which all 24 participating cows were displayed enquired about the "pomegranate cow", wondering why the artist had painted what Latvians regard as exotic berries. This is how the locals and tourists of Ventspils became acquainted with a part of Azerbaijan - a red pomegranate which embodies not only health and longevity, but also the philosophy of Azerbaijani life. This year's art festival was joined by about 40,000 people from both Latvia and other countries.

The unique works of art from "The cow parade" have now been put on public display throughout the Latvian city and await the autumn auction. And if Azerbaijani tourists ever get here, they might be interested to know that they can find their way in the city by the route-maps of "The Ventspils cow parade" available at the information and tourism centre. The map is available in Latvian, Russian and English. The colored edition contains information about all the painted cows, sketches of cow sculptures created by artists, a description of the painting process and locations of all the sculptures. It is quite possible that our "pomegranate cow" will be sold at a charity auction in autumn. Afterwards, it will either remain in Latvia or go to another country where it will embody a symbol of Azerbaijani culture.

Transmitter of information

Why pomegranate? After all, there are other symbols of Azerbaijani culture. The answer lies partly in the nature and character of the author of the painted "pomegranate cow", honored artist of Azerbaijan Museib Amirov, who spends most of his time in his workshop working on his next picture. His paintings are incredibly picturesque and cheerful. He considers himself an optimist and a happy man. Despite all the difficulties and problems he has encountered, he never ceased to create and believe in his lucky star. Today the works of the distinguished artist and teacher of Experimental Painting at the Azerbaijan Academy of Arts, Museib Amirov, are found in many museums and private collections.

"For me 'The cow parade' was a kind of a game. I have used pomegranates because this bright red fruit is the 'king of fruits' and a national symbol of Azerbaijan. This is some kind of a visiting card of the country. Pomegranate festivals are held in Goychay every year, where one can see and taste different varieties of this fruit. I painted the cow with scarlet pomegranates and 'planted' on one of its horns a ceramic pomegranate which I had specifically brought from Baku. Can you imagine what a boom this bright cow with our pomegranates caused among the visitors of the art festival? Imagine gloomy Ventspils skies - they have no summer even in the summer - and our bright cow. She and Azerbaijani pomegranates were interesting to all. This interest was very pleasant. I explained that the symbolism of the pomegranate is linked first to its color, second to its shape and third to its inner structure, which embodies unity and integrity of the multiple and diverse. It is a symbol of fertility, prosperity and marriage. I am very glad to have become a transmitter of information about this symbol of Azerbaijani culture."

In fact, a Latvian web-site dedicated to "The cow parade" says that an Azerbaijani artist chose pomegranate for his work because it is one of the main symbols of Azerbaijan.

Museib Amirov says that he immediately accepted the invitation to take part in the art festival. Even on his way there he knew exactly what he would paint. He had painted the same pomegranates on a model of the Maiden's Tower during the annual "Qiz Qalasi" festival. With the assistance of the "Qiz Qalasi" gallery Azerbaijan joined "The cow parade" art festival for the first time and this participation was not only worthy but also informative.

"I think it is every artist's dream to have his paintings admired hundreds of years later, teach people something. Just imagine ... A hundred years later my pictures will be seen by young men who haven't even been born yet. The most important thing for an artist is to know that his works will live on after his death. People come and go, but paintings remain for centuries," says Museib Amirov who can't imagine his life without painting - the canvas, brushes and paints.

THIS IS INTERESTING 

Pomegranate was a symbol of the life of the Phoenicians for whom it was an attribute of the Sun god. It is also mentioned in several scriptures of the eastern tradition, including the Bible where it appears as a symbol of beauty and unity of the world. Pomegranates have healing properties, which has given it the status of a "divine" fruit. It is believed that the apple of Paris, the apple of Eve, the apples of immortality in the Norse mythology are pomegranates. 

MUSEIB AMIROV'S EXHIBITIONS:

2011 - exhibition of artists from Azerbaijan, Seoul, South Korea

2010 - international art festival "Free flight", Vilnius, Lithuania 

2010 - international art festival "Maiden's Tower", Baku, Azerbaijan

2007 - personal exhibition Berlin-Baku GmbH Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2007 - personal exhibition Qiz Qalasi Gallery, Baku

2006 - Grand Prix of the international art festival in Aktau, Kazakhstan 

2005 - exhibition "Man and woman", Qiz Qalasi Gallery, Baku

2004 - exhibition Baku-Istanbul, Premier Agency, Istanbul, Turkey

2004 - Art Exhibition "Baku-Paris. 20 artists", Orangeride Senat, Paris, France

2004 - exhibition of modern Azerbaijani artists, IMF Gallery, Washington, USA

2003 - international arts exhibition in Luxembourg

2003 - international arts exhibition, Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui, Espace Auteuil, Paris, France