Briefly : Ashot

The soaring heights of the Caucasus have long been populated by diverse nations. For most of the 19th and 20th century, these lands drew contingents of Russian, French and British Imperial forces caught up in the Great Game. Three generations later, out of the obscurity of a Soviet village, emerged a life of extraordinary talent, that of a great painter of indisputably European vision. Born in the middle of the 20th century, he waged a private war for the freedom to paint as he saw, and felt, and not as any political school of thought, community – or marketplace – dictated. He found – and was found by – peers among the Russian artistic elite; connoisseurs among the powerful men and women of his society, and in the Western European diplomatic corps. The list of his protectors grew rapidly; ultimately, it came to include Raisa Gorbachev, and her husband: two world leaders who believed in the power of the human spirit to transform the planet, lifting it out of a path of decay that can only lead to a violent doom. Not all share this vision, yet all have witnessed the dramatic changes of the past decades. Most of us, given the alternatives, would support the triumph of Truth, Beauty, Love, and Justice, which is what the human spirit longs for, and every great artist champions. Ashot’s works give voice to the reality – not the illusion – of Freedom. In California since 1990, he has won a secure place in the hearts of all who love the Beautiful – of all who dare believe a second renaissance in painting is still possible. He is a mystery, a Force that paints. He is Ashot.

Maria Amadei Ashot

Maria Amadei Ashot was born on July 4, 1957 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was educated at Harvard, where she studied literature, languages and drama. A full-time poet and writer, she has extended her study of philosophy in recent years. She received a personal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts of the United States and writes poetry, plays, essays, short stories and novels in English, Russian, French and Spanish. She is one of the world's foremost multilingual and multicultural authors, and a creative force. Most recently, she has directed professional theater productions in Los Angeles; an adaptation of her translation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard was staged by The Yale Repertory Theatre for its 40th anniversary season in October 2005.