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Lot Essay
Very rare to come up for auction, the works of Zeinab Abd El Hamid are a testament to her identity both as one of the most famous leading female Egyptian artists and one of the founders of the Modern Art Group in 1946. Hamid’s works are steeped in social realism of Egypt; her subjects and landscapes manifest into a larger question into modernisation and social reform of both the artist and the citizen. Reminiscent of the harshness and delicacy of Cubism, the artist cultivated a distinct style using both oil and watercolour that conveyed an articulate representation of society, depicting everyday life and soul of Egypt. Paying attention to the architecture and symbolic cultural elements pervasive during the time, she is most notable for her bustling Cairo scenes depicting street views, coffee shops, the countryside and shipyards, such as the present scene.
As part of the Group of Modern Art, Hamid, together with artists such as Hamed Ewais and Gazbia Sirry, sought to touch the masses and reflect social ideologies of the time through their subject matter. Depicting the working class and their daily chores, Hamid highlighted the popular endeavor and spirit felt by society during the time. The importance of the shipyard along the Nile is also traditionally rooted in the Nile waterway as being a source of life, found in the many craftsmanship and traditions of its people. It is through these subtle connections that Hamid reinforces Cairo’s status as an epicenter for trade.
In the work, each element of the shipbuilding yard is delineated with exacting detail. Hamid’s careful attention to the ships’ structures are crafted with her subtle outlining, namely within the shipbuilders that are found throughout the scene. The light forms are overwhelmed in colour palette by the larger ships that fill the composition. It is only with closer inspection we see the figures dwarfed by the large ships, highlighting the greater goal involved. The workers are indistinguishable, little differentiation is made between them and instead, their pastel and clear coloured forms are anonymously working in unison.
One of the founders of the Modern Arts Group in 1947, Hamid had been participating in exhibitions since then, taking part in exhibitions organised by the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo and the Art Museum in Alexandria and participating in international exhibitions since 1950, including Biennales in Florence (1950), Venice (1958) and Alexandria (1976). Graduating from 1945 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Alexandria, she then completed her graduate work at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando in Madrid Spain. She further completed her studies in Mexico in 1969 and then became a professor at the Academy of Arts in Helwan, Egypt. Well received within the international community, both for her participation in exhibitions as well as her distinctive style, she successfully cultivated her distinct styles rooted in Egyptian society.
As part of the Group of Modern Art, Hamid, together with artists such as Hamed Ewais and Gazbia Sirry, sought to touch the masses and reflect social ideologies of the time through their subject matter. Depicting the working class and their daily chores, Hamid highlighted the popular endeavor and spirit felt by society during the time. The importance of the shipyard along the Nile is also traditionally rooted in the Nile waterway as being a source of life, found in the many craftsmanship and traditions of its people. It is through these subtle connections that Hamid reinforces Cairo’s status as an epicenter for trade.
In the work, each element of the shipbuilding yard is delineated with exacting detail. Hamid’s careful attention to the ships’ structures are crafted with her subtle outlining, namely within the shipbuilders that are found throughout the scene. The light forms are overwhelmed in colour palette by the larger ships that fill the composition. It is only with closer inspection we see the figures dwarfed by the large ships, highlighting the greater goal involved. The workers are indistinguishable, little differentiation is made between them and instead, their pastel and clear coloured forms are anonymously working in unison.
One of the founders of the Modern Arts Group in 1947, Hamid had been participating in exhibitions since then, taking part in exhibitions organised by the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo and the Art Museum in Alexandria and participating in international exhibitions since 1950, including Biennales in Florence (1950), Venice (1958) and Alexandria (1976). Graduating from 1945 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Alexandria, she then completed her graduate work at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando in Madrid Spain. She further completed her studies in Mexico in 1969 and then became a professor at the Academy of Arts in Helwan, Egypt. Well received within the international community, both for her participation in exhibitions as well as her distinctive style, she successfully cultivated her distinct styles rooted in Egyptian society.