Faeq Hassan

(Iraq, 1914-1992)

Baghdadiyat

Footnotes

Baghdadiyat
One of the finest examples from Faeq Hassan's cubist period

Provenance:
Property from a private collection, Germany
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner's family.

Faeq Hassan
"His Cubism in the fifties was a mixture of Arab forms largely derived from the 13th century Baghdadi illuminator Yahya al Wasiti, and current European forms. But his peasants, his Bedouins, his fishermen owe much to the waters of Tigris and Euphrates. His harvesters, his curd-sellers, however cubistically stylized, laboured under a clear Mesopotamian sun"

- Jabra Ibrahim Jabra

"Baghdadiat" is perhaps the most exquisite and sophisticated rendition of Faeq Hassan's brief but fruitful experimentation with Cubism, and more importantly, counts as one of the most graceful and skilfully rendered expressions of "Baghdad Modernism" ever to come to market, exhibiting a near perfect synthesis of local Iraqi and Mesopotamian forms rendered within a European Modernist artistic vocabulary.

Held in the same private German collection for over half a century, the work is part of a formidable collection of Iraqi Modernism amassed by a prominent German industrialist who was based in Iraq in the 1960's and developed a close personal friendship with Faeq Hassan, during which he acquired some of the artists most important artworks

One of the defining characteristics of the Baghdad Group of Modern Artists was their unique blending of European and local influences in their work. Many of the artists in the group had studied in Europe and were influenced by the modernist movements that had emerged there in the early 20th century, such as cubism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism.

At the same time, the artists in the Baghdad Group were deeply committed to exploring their own cultural heritage and incorporating elements of Iraqi art and folklore into their work. They drew inspiration from traditional Iraqi crafts, such as weaving, calligraphy, and pottery, as well as from the rich history of Islamic art and architecture. The result of this fusion of European and local influences was a unique and distinctive style that was both modern and deeply rooted in Iraqi culture.

The deftness with which the present work balances local and Modern elements is hard to overstate; On first impressions, Hassan's composition appears to be overtly inspired by the simplified figuration of artists like Miro or Picasso (notably his depictions of Francoise Gilot painted in the 1940's), but on closer inspection we can see that the almond shaped heads of the figures clearly reference ancient Mesopotamian statuary found in the Lecant and that the composition is punctuated by traditional Eastern symbols like the crescent Moon

The work itself is a playful explosion of colour, shape, and texture that perfectly captures the energy and dynamism of the Baghdad Modern art group. The composition is composed of fragmented shapes, planes, and lines that overlap and intersect to create a complex, multi-layered image that is both striking and evocative.

Faeq Hassan is often referred to as the father of Iraqi modern art. During his artistic career he took on many roles within the burgeoning Iraqi art scene, including educator and founder. In the crucial decades of the 1940s and 50s, Hassan was devoted to the creation of an art form that would express the growing feelings of national pride amongst Iraqi citizens. He was also interested in developing his own technical skill and that of his students. In later decades, Hassan would remain a leading artist in Iraq and his artistic legacy continues to be a powerful influence.