01 Painting, Middle East Artists, THE ART OF WAR, Louai Kayyali's Then What, with Footnotes #66

Louai Kayyali, 1934-1978, SYRIAN

Then What, c. 1965

190 x 172 cm

Oil on wood, 1965

Private collection

In Kayyali’s work eleven figures (seven women, two boys and one man) are crowded together as though walking in unison. With most of their gazes turned away from the viewer, they are lost in the suggested horror of their surroundings as several peer up at an invisible, looming force. In the center of the canvas is a man whose features are distorted as the artist has rendered his face with quick brush marks and few details. 

Louai Kayyali, 1934-1978, SYRIAN

Then What, c. 1965

Detail

Hunched over and overpowered by an incomprehensible weight, he seems to carry the burden of mankind. His arched back, angular chin and hidden face resemble Masaccio’s Adam in “The Expulsion from Paradise” (1427). Behind him stands a female figure in profile, her head stretched far into the sky, as she beckons the heavens for reprieve and reflects the inescapable posture of a body that is overrun by grief. Kayyali has painted her face in a near identical rendering of Eve in the above-mentioned fresco, as he simply rearranged the central figures of Masaccio’s composition. More on this painting

Louay Kayali, (1934–1978) was a Syrian modern artist. Kayali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934 and studied art in the Accademia di Belle Arti after having studied at the Al-Tajhiz School where his work was first exhibited in 1952. He met Syrian artist Wahbi Al-Hariri there and the two would share a friendship for the rest of Kayali's life. Al-Hariri would become his mentor as he was for artist Fateh Moudarres that Hariri introduced to Kayali in 1955. Moudarress and Kayali would together represent Syrian modern art at the Venice Biennial Fair. He suffered from depression and died in 1978 from burns incurred from his bed catching fire, reportedly from a cigarette. More on Louay Kayali

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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02 Paintings, Middle East Artists, Louay Kayyali's Maaloula, with Footnotes, #65

Louay Kayyali (Syrian, 1934-1978)

Maaloula, c. 1963

Oil on canvas

29¼ x 36in. (75 x 94.5cm.)

Private collection

Maaloula is one of the main subjects in Kayyali’s oeuvre; the present work is painted only two years after the artist graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti and it is one of the finest portrayals of this mountainous Aramaic town. All elements are intricately balanced, orchestrated by his ability in articulating the subtleties of line and perspective of the holy city’s mountain and its sheltering village and soothing skies.

The village of Maaloula is located to the northeast of Damascus and built into the rugged mountainside, with a population of just a few hundred. Maaloula, from the Aramaic word ma'la meaning "entrance", is the only place where the western dialect of Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, is still spoken. It is home to two important monasteries, Mar Sarkis and Mar Taqla. The Mar Sarkis monastery was named after a Roman soldier, executed for his Christian beliefs. The Mar Taqla monastery holds the remains of St. Taqla (Thecla), daughter of one of Seleucid's princes, and pupil of St. Paul. According to legend, in the 1st century AD, soldiers pursued St.Taqla and her father because of her Christian faith. She came upon a mountain and after praying, the mountain split to reveal a gorge like that of Petra, through which she escaped. The town is named after this entrance to the mountain. Naturally there are many variations of this story among the residents of Maaloula, which adds to its historical and spiritual significance. More on Maaloula

Louai Kayyali

Maloula, c. 1965

Oil on canvas

76 x 48 cm.; 30 by 18 7/8 in.

Private collection

Louay Kayali, (1934–1978) was a Syrian modern artist. Kayali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934 and studied art in the Accademia di Belle Arti after having studied at the Al-Tajhiz School where his work was first exhibited in 1952. He met Syrian artist Wahbi Al-Hariri there and the two would share a friendship for the rest of Kayali's life. Al-Hariri would become his mentor as he was for artist Fateh Moudarres that Hariri introduced to Kayali in 1955. Moudarress and Kayali would together represent Syrian modern art at the Venice Biennial Fair. He suffered from depression and died in 1978 from burns incurred from his bed catching fire, reportedly from a cigarette. More on Louay Kayali

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

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01 Painting, Middle East Artists, Louai Kayyali's The match Seller, with Footnotes, #64

Louai Kayyali, 1934-1978, SYRIAN

The match Seller, c. 1974

Oil on masonite

90 by 80cm

Private Collection

Louay Kayali, (1934–1978) was a Syrian modern artist. Kayali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934 and studied art in the Accademia di Belle Arti after having studied at the Al-Tajhiz School where his work was first exhibited in 1952. He met Syrian artist Wahbi Al-Hariri there and the two would share a friendship for the rest of Kayali's life. Al-Hariri would become his mentor as he was for artist Fateh Moudarres that Hariri introduced to Kayali in 1955. Moudarress and Kayali would together represent Syrian modern art at the Venice Biennial Fair. He suffered from depression and died in 1978 from burns incurred from his bed catching fire, reportedly from a cigarette. More on Louay Kayali

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

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01 Painting, Middle East Artists, Easam Darawshi's Expressive Portrait #2, with Footnotes, #63

Easam Darawshi, Palestinian, b. 1984

Expressive Portrait #2, c. 2021

Acrylic on canvas

78 7/10 × 41 3/10 in, 200 × 105 cm

Private collection

Essam Darawshi was born in Nazareth in 1984. He studied Physiotherapy at the Faculty of Medicine at Genoa University, Italy. In 2010, Easam enrolled in the Academy of Arts at the University of Genoa where he began his journey as an artist, driven by his passion, focusing on the Arabic Calligraphy as a form of contemporary art.

In 2013, Easam went back to his hometown where he started working on figurative and expressionist artworks influenced by graffiti, murals, and street art. His portraits do not capture the external figure of a subject, they rather serve as a portal for a journey of self-exploration and an attempt to experience a variety of forms and search for identity. Easam believes that facial expressions cannot be captured in a single moment or form hence his canvases reflect the complexity of emotions surrounding identity; one's relationship to the surrounding environment and contradicting feelings of belonging. Easam’s work is deeply influenced by social conflict and psychological paradoxes of present-day life. He uses different techniques and applies a variety of mixed media and materials. More on Essam Darawshi

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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02 Paintings, Middle East Artists, Rafat Asad's Haifa, with Footnotes, #62

Rafat Asad, Palestinian, b. 1974

Haifa II, c. 2018

Acrylic on canvas

23 3/5 × 23 3/5 in, 60 × 60 cm

Private collection

Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of 285,316 in 2019. The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel. 

Over the millennia, the Haifa area has changed hands: being conquered and ruled by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and the British. More on Haifa

Rafat Asad, Palestinian, b. 1974

Haifa I, c. 2018

Acrylic on canvas

23 3/5 × 23 3/5 in, 60 × 60 cm

Private collection

Rafat Asad was born in Nablus in 1974 and was awarded a Bachelors degree in fine art from Al Najah University in 1998. Altough he is a multi-disciplinary artist- producing sound and light installations, video and performances- Asad describes himself as a painter first and foremost. Starting as an abstract painter, his work has evolved to focus on Palestinian Landscape. This had made his recent work unique, brilliant and somewhat “reductionist” in style.

He has participated in group exhibitions in Palestine, Europe, Japan, the US and the Arab world. Asad’s works have been shown in five Solo Exhibitions at a variety of venues including Nablus (1999), Ramallah (2006) And London (2006). More on Rafat Asad

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.