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Lot Essay
This extraordinary and monumental work by leading Egyptian painter, Samir Rafi, depicts a surrealist nude portrait of a woman in delicate hues of beige and light brown. By the late 1950s, Rafi produced works in which he explored a rather Constructivist style – stirring away from his more typical approach to painting which resembled the child-like designs found on the walls of the poor streets of Cairo – and incorporated the use of geometrical shapes in his depictions of not only people, but also landscapes. While this style diverges from his previous works, Rafi remains loyal to his use of bold lines, unmixed colours which he used directly form the paint tubes, and his embracing of the inherent flatness of the canvas through a lack of perspective.
The present lot is a very rare and unique piece from Rafi’s oeuvre. Known to be the painter of the working class in his native country through symbols derived from vernacular folk culture, in Momie ressuscité, or resurrected mummy, Rafi creates a modernist abstract representation of Ancient Egyptian aesthetics, conveying his admiration for his own cultural heritage. The artist makes a bold choice of medium, opting a canvas made from jute to paint over with a larger-than-life half-portrait of a nude woman. Embracing and complimenting the texture and nature of this medium, the artist employed bright hues of beige and orange, reinforcing the notion that this piece portrait is reminiscent of Ancient Egyptian visuals. There is a fascinating juxtaposition produced between the cheap and ordinary material of jute with the monumentality of this portrait of a mummy. It appears that the artist is bringing in communion with one another the modern working class of Egypt with its cultural riches from the past. In addition, this accentuation of local culture also appears to be a calling for the disjunction of the Arab country from Western ideals and paradigms, suggesting a proud and inward-looking approach to the arts.
It is imperative to also consider the title and the subject of this painting together, since they suggest the rebirth of not only the greatness of Egypt, but also the leading role of the woman in society – a topic that Rafi advocates for throughout his extensive oeuvre. In the artist’s painting, the female figure is depicted through a constructivist approach, where the role of lines are geometric shapes are emphasized. There is a contrast between the series of roughly-straight lines that delineate the outer silhouette of the mummy, and the curved lines that detail the breasts, womb, and gluteus of the woman. This contrast appears to highlight the rather traditional approach of the female nude – where her fertility is underscored –possibly alluding to the notion of a ‘mother of Egypt.’ This notion resonates with that proposed by the pioneering Egyptian sculpture from the early twentieth century, Mahmoud Mukhtar, particularly in regard to his eminent sculpture Nahdat Misri (Egypt Awakened, 1919-1928). It is crucial to note, however, that in neither piece the woman is overly-sexualized. In fact, in both monumental pieces the figure of the woman is glorified as a guardian of art, and as a ubiquitous symbol of the rebirth of culture and social progress. Considering all these elements together, along with the ingenuity of Rafi, this phenomenal painting conveys the powerful marriage of Ancient Egyptian glory with the cunning strength of the modern, working Egyptian woman.
The present lot is a very rare and unique piece from Rafi’s oeuvre. Known to be the painter of the working class in his native country through symbols derived from vernacular folk culture, in Momie ressuscité, or resurrected mummy, Rafi creates a modernist abstract representation of Ancient Egyptian aesthetics, conveying his admiration for his own cultural heritage. The artist makes a bold choice of medium, opting a canvas made from jute to paint over with a larger-than-life half-portrait of a nude woman. Embracing and complimenting the texture and nature of this medium, the artist employed bright hues of beige and orange, reinforcing the notion that this piece portrait is reminiscent of Ancient Egyptian visuals. There is a fascinating juxtaposition produced between the cheap and ordinary material of jute with the monumentality of this portrait of a mummy. It appears that the artist is bringing in communion with one another the modern working class of Egypt with its cultural riches from the past. In addition, this accentuation of local culture also appears to be a calling for the disjunction of the Arab country from Western ideals and paradigms, suggesting a proud and inward-looking approach to the arts.
It is imperative to also consider the title and the subject of this painting together, since they suggest the rebirth of not only the greatness of Egypt, but also the leading role of the woman in society – a topic that Rafi advocates for throughout his extensive oeuvre. In the artist’s painting, the female figure is depicted through a constructivist approach, where the role of lines are geometric shapes are emphasized. There is a contrast between the series of roughly-straight lines that delineate the outer silhouette of the mummy, and the curved lines that detail the breasts, womb, and gluteus of the woman. This contrast appears to highlight the rather traditional approach of the female nude – where her fertility is underscored –possibly alluding to the notion of a ‘mother of Egypt.’ This notion resonates with that proposed by the pioneering Egyptian sculpture from the early twentieth century, Mahmoud Mukhtar, particularly in regard to his eminent sculpture Nahdat Misri (Egypt Awakened, 1919-1928). It is crucial to note, however, that in neither piece the woman is overly-sexualized. In fact, in both monumental pieces the figure of the woman is glorified as a guardian of art, and as a ubiquitous symbol of the rebirth of culture and social progress. Considering all these elements together, along with the ingenuity of Rafi, this phenomenal painting conveys the powerful marriage of Ancient Egyptian glory with the cunning strength of the modern, working Egyptian woman.