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Lot Essay
Full time painter, Fateh Moudarres was simultaneously a renowned poet and published writer. Born in Aleppo in 1922, Moudarres tells stories of his childhood memories through his paintings. Having studied mythology, which often inspired his paintings, he was deeply immersed in the history of the region; he invented stories and gave them unusual titles. A pioneer of Modern Syrian Art, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome from 1954 until 1960, where his influences evolved from Realism into Surrealism. Upon finishing his degree, he returned to Syria where he expanded his practice with the help of Wahbi Al Hariri, whose friendship would last him a lifetime. In the early 1970s, Moudarres travelled to Paris to study at the prestigious École de Beaux-Arts before returning to Damascus to teach at its University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, where he began interacting with other artists of his generation.
During his time in Damascus, he would make many trips to Lebanon, a place he would eventually call his second home and where he refined his practice. From the late 1960s until the early 1970s, a recurring motif in many Arab artists’ works was the theme of Arabism. Artists began exploring what each Levantine country had to offer and the collective result was that although Syria, Egypt and Iraq had much cultural richness to offer, Lebanon housed some of the greatest opportunities for emerging artists. In 1975, when the war erupted in Lebanon, Beirut was completely divided; as was Fateh as he felt he was losing a place that he considered his sanctuary. He was torn up about the situation and began creating works protesting the various political leaders who caused this chaos and uproar and who turned their backs to his beloved adopted city.
This monumental fiery polyptych, painted in the 1980s, not only refers to the current events happening in Lebanon at that time, but simultaneously the collective history of the region. Typical of his work, elements are connected and interconnected; objects and figures are treated similarly which breaks the boundaries between them. With an effect akin to that of a mosaic piece dominated by a vibrant red tone, the natural flow of people, faces, women and children is trapped between the sky and the earth. Despite this, there are juxtapositions of emotions and feelings. There is anger in some of the figures, goodness in others. Life, according to Moudarres was never one-sided- he always sought a balance. In this instance, he was crying out for the balance to be restored to Beirut.
In many of his works, Moudaress resonates his childhood by using sand in his pieces to create a magical texture, which the viewer is drawn to. Through these textures, he is looking for an infinite space, which may allude to him the surroundings of his childhood. Through his work, Moudarres shares a time of joyful, intense memories and an easy approach to storytelling. Even in the depiction of the most serious subjects, this style allowed him to wander away from exaggerating the scene; therefore his paintings became a work instilled with hopefulness, even through the darkest of representations.
During his time in Damascus, he would make many trips to Lebanon, a place he would eventually call his second home and where he refined his practice. From the late 1960s until the early 1970s, a recurring motif in many Arab artists’ works was the theme of Arabism. Artists began exploring what each Levantine country had to offer and the collective result was that although Syria, Egypt and Iraq had much cultural richness to offer, Lebanon housed some of the greatest opportunities for emerging artists. In 1975, when the war erupted in Lebanon, Beirut was completely divided; as was Fateh as he felt he was losing a place that he considered his sanctuary. He was torn up about the situation and began creating works protesting the various political leaders who caused this chaos and uproar and who turned their backs to his beloved adopted city.
This monumental fiery polyptych, painted in the 1980s, not only refers to the current events happening in Lebanon at that time, but simultaneously the collective history of the region. Typical of his work, elements are connected and interconnected; objects and figures are treated similarly which breaks the boundaries between them. With an effect akin to that of a mosaic piece dominated by a vibrant red tone, the natural flow of people, faces, women and children is trapped between the sky and the earth. Despite this, there are juxtapositions of emotions and feelings. There is anger in some of the figures, goodness in others. Life, according to Moudarres was never one-sided- he always sought a balance. In this instance, he was crying out for the balance to be restored to Beirut.
In many of his works, Moudaress resonates his childhood by using sand in his pieces to create a magical texture, which the viewer is drawn to. Through these textures, he is looking for an infinite space, which may allude to him the surroundings of his childhood. Through his work, Moudarres shares a time of joyful, intense memories and an easy approach to storytelling. Even in the depiction of the most serious subjects, this style allowed him to wander away from exaggerating the scene; therefore his paintings became a work instilled with hopefulness, even through the darkest of representations.