This portrait depicts my father as a young man. In his eyes, I see hope, dreams, and the quiet confidence of someone with his whole life ahead of him. He looks toward the future without knowing what joys and challenges life would bring.
My father's exact date of birth is unknown. In those days, in many villages, births were rarely recorded by calendar dates. Instead, people remembered the time of a child's birth by the seasons or by events in nature—for example, when the almond trees ripened, when the pomegranates were ready for harvest, or when the first snow fell. The year of birth was often remembered according to the traditional twelve-year zodiac cycle, such as the Year of the Mouse (Rat). Years later, when official documents were issued, birth dates were often recorded only approximately. According to his official documents, my father's birth date was recorded as January 21, 1938.
One of the family stories passed down through generations is about my father's birth. My grandmother used to tell us that he was born with a caul—a rare occurrence in which a baby is born covered by part of the amniotic membrane. At first, she was frightened and thought something was terribly wrong. But the women assisting with the birth immediately reassured her, saying, "Do not be afraid. Your son was born with a caul. It is a rare sign, and people believe that such children are destined to live fortunate and happy lives."
Whether it was simply a beautiful family belief or a sign of destiny, this story has remained in our family through the generations. Whenever I look at this portrait, I remember my grandmother's words and imagine the young man who looked toward the future with hope.
Through this painting, I wanted to preserve not only my father's likeness but also the memory of his generation, the family stories passed down from one generation to the next, and the traditions that keep our history alive.
