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Orient of Ashes
1
Featuring arabesque concepts, Abdullah Murad’s paintings and drawings are deeply influenced by the fauvist colors and the abstract expressionist movement. His paintings expose layers of details varying from transparent to thick impasto while using the mixture of media textures: newspaper collages, and cut-outs, as seen in the “Orient of Ashes.” This work is in the same series or possibly even created as a diptych to” The Master of Game”.
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Master of the game
2
Featuring arabesque concepts, Abdullah Murad’s paintings and drawings are deeply influenced by the fauvist colors and the abstract expressionist movement. His paintings expose layers of details varying from transparent to thick impasto while using the mixture of media textures: newspaper collages and cut-outs, as seen in the “Master of the Game.” This work is in the same series or possibly even created as a diptych to “Orient of Ashes.”
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The Kite
3
Referencing religious symbols, mythology, philosophy and popular iconography, Elias Zayat is known for his dramatic portraiture and expressive figures. In “The Kite”, delineating lines, blocks of color and the kneeling figure might be seen as referencing the church and its stained glass.
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Untitled
4
Influenced from her communist politician father and her mother’s strong character, Hala al-Faisal’s life and art has been influenced by leftist politics, women’s rights and her own determination. She devoted a major portion of her artistic production to women as a direct result of her childhood environment. The work “Untitled” depicts a woman painting on a canvas, in a possible self-portrait of the artist, herself.
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Untitled
5
Following the Hama Massacre of 1981, Khouzayma Alwani’s work revolved around the dramatic depiction of monsters and beasts, an allusion to humanity with all of its injustice and the Syrian society in a state of devastation. Similar to “Untitled” each work has a painted border or a frame whose color is the same as the character or action in the center. Often the monster-like figures expand beyond or escape their borders. In this work, the figure screams and raises his arms, overwhelmed by the rough sea.
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Untitled (Woman)
6
One of the thematics that arises in the work of Fayek Dahdouh is the nude woman. The painting “Untitled,” was published in the journal Al Hayat al Tashkilia in a long form interview where Dahdouh speaks philosophically about aesthetics, imagination and gender. The painting is characteristic of his cool palette, vertical brushstrokes and female figures.
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Untitled
7
Inspired by Islamic heritage with a nod to modernity, Enaya Bukhari’s silk screen print “Untitled” is almost monochromatically yellow with small touches of red. The geometric or cellular-like shapes and bold colors create a patterned composition that incorporates organic and botanical components poetically woven throughout the work.
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Two dancers راقصتان
8
Working with abstracted figures in color fields, Karam Matouk has a nuanced way of painting with colors and textures. In “Two Dancers”, the light and shadow falls gracefully on the figures melting them together with the background. The areas of color evoke features and forms skillfully mastered.
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The Messiah is crucified anew المسيح يُصلب من جديد
9
Inspired by his family and events in his early childhood, Ibrahim Jalal grew up surrounded by his father’s weaving loom, his older brother’s portraits of women and the vibrant colors and atmosphere of the textile market. Jalal’s paintings are based in abstraction, a bright palette and central compositions with square-like shapes. In “The Messiah is Crucified Anew”, he includes the religious symbol of the crucifixion, small vignettes, figures and objects, that when they are combined together, they take on a narrative quality.
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Untitled
10
Following the Hama Massacre of 1981, Khouzayma Alwany’s work revolved around the dramatic depiction of monsters and beasts, an allusion to humanity with all of its injustice and the Syrian society in a state of devastation. Similar to “Untitled” each work has a painted border or a frame whose color is the same as the character or action in the center. Often the monster-like figures expand beyond or escape their borders. In this work, a warrior-like bird-headed figure stands with hanging genitals, a sword on his belt and snake in his hand - symbols of masculinity, virility and conquest.
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Untitled
11
Central to Radwan’s imagery is a collection of faces, as seen in this painting. The gestural light lines are contrasted with splashes of color, most prominently the reddish color that shapes the lips of each figure.
In his interviews, he talks at length about the female form and the influence it has in his work: “Femininity is the source of all the forces of life… and the woman is embodied in various aesthetic and life situations …”
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Untitled
12
Painting with ochre and other earthy colors, Nazir Ismail combined expressionism and surrealism to describe his emotions, giving his work a psychological depth. Depicting the cultural, social, and political atmosphere around him, much of his work deals with the feelings of defeat, losses, confusion and bitterness.
Typical of his work, “Untitled” has clusters of shapes in his compositions, drawing the viewer to examine the surface as a whole and absorb the plethora of lines and textures.
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Le rouge et le Bleu
13
Influenced from her communist politician father and her mother’s strong character, Hala al-Faisal’s life and art has been imbued by leftist politics, women’s rights and her own determination. This painting, “Le rouge et le bleu”, depicts a dark and stormy landscape with a red sky, illuminated by groups of flowers - pockets of light in the storm. A unique rendering, this beautiful landscape is full of strong emotions and powerful colors in contrast with traditional landscapes.
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We Love Peace
14
Nizar Sabour is well-known for his abstractly rendered cityscapes and narrative scenes. Partly created from natural materials such as burnt olive pits, his minimal palette also gives a textural experience. Painted during his time in Moscow, “We Love Peace,” is a dream-like cityscape, with giant people depicted among floating symbols, perhaps commenting on regional Arab politics of the time.
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Story of Antar and Abla
15
Known for his spectacular visual storytelling, Al Tinawi was fascinated by traditional verses and folk epics such as the black warrior-poet, Antar, and his love, Abla. Painting using the reverse glass technique, he used bright colors and flat-outlined representations of characters, bringing popular tales to life.
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Abla bint Malek
16
Known for his spectacular visual storytelling, Al Tinawi was fascinated by traditional verses and folk epics such as the black warrior-poet, Antar, and his love, Abla. Painting using the reverse glass technique, he used bright colors and flat-outlined representations of characters, bringing popular tales to life.
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Antarah ibn Shaddad Al Absi
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Known for his spectacular visual storytelling, Al Tinawi was fascinated by traditional verses and folk epics such as the black warrior-poet, Antar, and his love, Abla. Painting using the reverse glass technique, he used bright colors and flat-outlined representations of characters, bringing popular tales to life.
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Untitled (apples)
18
“Experimenting with various techniques and media, I try to escape from monotony,” says Syrian artist Fadi Yazigi (1966). Living in Damascus, he works to interpret the world around him and capture people’s emotions. In “Untitled,” he uses bright colors on a newspaper background to cheerfully depict the everyday apple.
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Assaad w Joudeh
19
Blending elements from Syrian folklore and Western art, Al Maari’s work captures familiar Damascus characters and scenes, with a carefully formed simplicity. Using pencil and Chinese ink, he renders much of his work in black and white, acknowledging his early days, printmaking at university. Colors in acrylics and mixed media occasionally enter his work creating thoughtful impact like with these two characters “Assaad w Joudeh,” based on a popular satirical series called “Day3a Daay3a.”
