Pine Trees, Poetry, and Memory: A Personal Reflection on Lebanon
In an essay for Hyperallergic, Khatchig Mouradian examines a 1936 watercolor by Lebanese artist Moustafa Farroukh alongside a 1937 sonnet by Armenian poet Vahan Tekeyan, both influenced by the mountains that loom over Beirut. This exploration coincides with the sixth anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, which resulted in over 200 fatalities and caused damage to the Sursock Museum, which reopened on May 26, 2023, featuring 'Beyond Ruptures.' Mouradian revisits these artistic pieces in Dhour El Choueir in August 2026, offering a new translation of Tekeyan's 'To a Lebanese Pine Tree.' He critiques the notion of 'resilience' and Western depictions of Lebanon's nightlife, focusing on themes of endurance and community, with acknowledgment to Rowina Bou Harb.
Key facts
- The essay is published on Hyperallergic and written by Khatchig Mouradian.
- It references the Beirut Port explosion of August 4, 2020, which killed over 200 people.
- Moustafa Farroukh's watercolor 'A Group of Pines in Bekfaya' was painted in 1936.
- Vahan Tekeyan wrote the sonnet 'To a Lebanese Pine Tree' in Dhour El Choueir in August 1937.
- The Sursock Museum was damaged in the explosion and reopened on May 26, 2023, with the exhibition 'Beyond Ruptures.'
- Tekeyan became the first editor of the Armenian newspaper Zartonk in September 1937.
- Farroukh studied under Habib Serour in Beirut and later in Rome and Paris.
- The watercolor was on loan from the private collection of Emile Nasrallah.
Entities
Artists
- Khatchig Mouradian
- Moustafa Farroukh
- Vahan Tekeyan
- Habib Serour
- Emile Nasrallah
Institutions
- Hyperallergic
- Sursock Museum
- Zartonk
Locations
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- Dhour El Choueir
- Bekfaya
- Rome
- Paris
- Constantinople
- United States