01 Painting, Middle East Artists, THE ART OF WAR, Ayman Baalbaki's Untitled, with Footnotes #85

Ayman Baalbaki, Lebanon

Untitled, 2011

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

70 x 50 cm

DALLOUL ART FOUNDATION

Ayman Baalbaki’s untitled artwork represents a bust view portrait of a fida’i (freedom fighter) wearing a keffiyeh, and a Guy Fawkes mask, set against a colorful background of acrylic in fabric laid on canvas

Painted in Ayman Baalbaki’s signature expressionist style, the thought-provoking composition experiments with the notion of identity. Indeed, the portrayed fighter is anonymous. Conversely, he wears one of the most recognizable masks and scarves in contemporary history. They are iconographic symbols of rebellion. The keffiyeh, historically considered the traditional Palestinian headdress, has become a glorified symbol of Palestinian resistance in Arab culture. Conversely, it has also come to represent Islamic extremism for the West. Similarly, the Guy Fawkes mask grew to represent conflicting values and beliefs. It started with an association to Fawkes’ treason, and through the power of narration, became an international symbol of revolution against injustice.  As such the attire of Baalbaki’s figure gives him an instant collective identity, even when his individual one is unknown. More on this painting

Ayman Baalbaki is a Lebanese artist, living and working in Beirut. He studied Fine Arts in Beirut and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Born during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s, Baalbaki draws most of his inspiration from this subject matter. In 2012, Baalbaki was part of the The Future of a Promise at the 54th Venice Biennale: the first pan-Arab exhibition of contemporary art to feature in the festival. This exhibition brought together more than 25 recent works by some foremost artists of the Arab world. His work depicted warriors wearing veils or casks. His paintings often describe the seemingly endless conflicts that haunt the Middle East. More on Ayman Baalbaki

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, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, 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.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

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.