Khosrow Azarpour was born and raised in the ancient city of Hamedan (its ancient name is Hegmataneh), in the west of Iran. He became fascinated with nature and its amazing beauties since he was a young boy, while visiting his grandfather’s ranch in the rural areas during summer vacations. His father was a school teacher, teaching history and literature, but, he loved to paint as a hobby. His great grandfather used to be an official royal artist, painting at the order of the King of Persia. Thus, painting has been in the family’s blood and gene! However, his father always opposed Khosrow picking up painting as his career and wanted him to become an engineer instead. Not wanting to disappoint his father, Khosrow, reluctantly set aside his dreams and pursued engineering.

He finished high school and entered university. After graduation as an agricultural engineer, he entered the job market. It was then that he was able to dedicate more time to his passion for art. He was taught the principles of painting by a master who himself had learned painting in Russia. But, unfortunately, that didn’t last long, as an anti-monarchy revolution broke out in Iran in 1979, which toppled the Shah of Iran and ended the 2500 years of monarchy. Despite the hopes and dreams of the Iranian people who were yearning for more freedom and democracy, the new regime fell in the hands of the most fundamentalist elements of the society. Gradually, even the most basic social and personal freedoms which people enjoyed during the Shah disappeared under the rule of the religious clergy. As an artist and as an intellectual, Khosrow could not tolerate the new circumstances and joined the opposition groups who were fighting the new regime. It wasn’t long before he was arrested by the security forces and convicted for treason in a phony trial and sentenced to death.

It was almost like a miracle that the first Persian Gulf War, between Iran and Iraq, started and he could escape the prison, which had b