As Light as a Feather
Dear art seekers,
While my list for artists can run long, I am interested in receiving your suggestions! Send me artists you think I should discuss or anything else on your mind.
This week, the late luminary Egyptian artist Salah Taher sweeps us away with his ever-so dreamy paintings.
Salah Taher (1911-2007), was born in Cairo, Egypt. In 1934, Taher completed his studies at the Academy of Fine Art in Cairo. He later became a Lecturer at the same Academy until 1954. He held many prominent positions throughout his life, in addition to being honored alongside Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina when they published an encyclopaedic volume documenting his life and work in 2001.
What mesmerized me when I first saw Taher’s work was his signature swift painting technique that made his subjects feel as light as a feather (fig.1). He used a flat brush or a pallet-knife to spread the diluted paint across the canvas. This gives the illusion that very minimal effort is put into the making of his paintings. Throughout his practice, his style moved from realistic to figurative symbolism, and finally to abstraction.
Taher approached his abstracted work with spirituality in mind. He had a philosophical approach and “ believed that producing a recognisable likeness” mattered less than the ability to "go beneath and beyond the face". To balance out his consistent disengagement from political action, an interest in the subliminal, even the transcendental has informed his every step” Youssef Rakha from Al- Ahram newspaper says in an interview with the artist.
The artist drew his inspiration from music, literature and Arabic calligraphy. He integrated the motion applied in the construction of Arabic letters in his work. In a series of abstracted paintings, he focused on the word Huwa in Arabic which means 'He', referring to the almighty creator (fig.2).
Art is inherently political, employed often as a political statement. Of course, the work of an artist differs radically from being a politician. Taher was nominated twice to be minister of culture and he refused both times. "Politics as a way of life is unnatural. A human being is made up of three things: a soul or a spirit, a mind and a body. All the time, each of these things is trying to get the better of the other two; and art as a way of dealing with that ongoing battle is a kind of spirituality in itself -- this is the art that interests me”, he said in the interview with Al- Ahram.
For a more intimate insight into Taher’s life, make sure to check this out and send in your artist suggestions!
Yours truly,
Rebecca