Untitled (The Portrait of Umayma Hussein Ibish)

A master of Syrian Modern Art, Kayyali produced an extensive oeuvre in his short-lived life, documenting people that portrayed the beauty and vulnerability of life – frozen in time and space, demarcated by strong fluid lines and a contrasting colour palette. The epitome of feminine grace, the Portrait of Umayma Hussein Ibish dominates the composition. She shines even brighter than the golden hues enveloping her in the background, the pearlescent white of the sitter’s chair, and her shimmering clothes and earrings. Rare to find a work with such luminosity and stunning gold, this is an exceptional piece. The viewer immediately connects with the sitter’s intelligent gaze, her unique softness and careful staging chosen by the artist; we then notice her meticulous coiffure and the intricate details including her earrings, the pleats in her dress and fine makeup.

During the 1960s, Kayyali moved from Aleppo to Damascus, building a strong reputation for himself as he depicted the Syrian upper class as well as the working classes, finding beauty and wisdom regardless of class or attire. It was also during this time that the artist was very much affected by the events taking place in Syria and the Arab world. Kayyali depicts Umayma in brilliance, as opposed to the darker and more sombre moods of the working classes he painted. A moment of splendour and warmth, the gold is felt as a temporary moment, as the disastrous events of the 1967 war would leave the artist in a depression that lasted well into the 1970s.

Studying painting in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma under a scholarship by the Ministry of Education, Kayyali held a great amount of solo exhibitions in Rome, Milan, Damascus and Beirut, with awards such as the Golden Medal for Foreigners in Ravenna, as well as his representation of Syria with the acclaimed artist Fateh Moudarres at the Venice Biennale.