Hassan Soliman & Shadi Abdel Salam
Hassan Soliman
1928-2008
A nonconformist, a dreamer and a reclusive character, Hassan Soliman was well revered within the Egyptian art circle. He is referred to as the last knight of the 60’s by artists and art critics for his contributions to and influence on Egyptian Art. Soliman was deeply influenced by his family, especially his uncle, renowned archaeologist Dr. Ahmed Fakhry, and his father who was an appreciator of Islamic art. Soliman was infatuated with Egyptian history, culture and heritage. He spent his childhood in the historical district of Taha Seyoufi in Cairo, where he lived with his family. This greatly influenced his awareness of his environment and of his country’s heritage. Many of his neighbors were of multicultural backgrounds (like Greek, Italian, and Armenian) which reflected cosmopolitan life in Cairo during that time. He was interested in literature and music.
Hassan Soliman studied art alongside Hamed Nada, Abdulhadi Al Gazzar, and under the guidance of the great pioneering painters of the time. He was also mentored by Yehia Hakky.
He longed for interaction, as his studio was open to students, art lovers, appreciators, yet he worked and lived in solitude to preserve his uniqueness at a time when everyone else was conforming to the new social and cultural transformation and rules of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
The Egyptian art scene changed radically by the mid-seventies when many of the cultural institutions were shut down. Soliman was influenced by the socio-political changes that took place and shaped his identity as an artist, and many other artists of his generation as well.
Soliman later quit public cultural life in the 80’s and dedicated his time to painting at his own studio. He was an artist in search of truth and real meaning. He used predominantly grey tones in his art works in search for the hidden and the unforeseen.
Hassan Soliman was born in Cairo presumably between 25 August and 11th September, 1928. He graduated from Cairo school of Fine Arts in 1951. He was granted a residency at the Luxor Fine Arts Studios in 1952 and 1953. In the late fifties, he worked as a scenographer at the National Theatre, till the early sixties. In 1966, he decided to continue his Postgraduate Studies in “Psychology of the Fourth Dimension” at Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, Italy. During the years 1964 and 1972, he worked as an associate professor at the faculty of Fine Arts and at the Cinema institute. He was also a lecturer in Fundamentals of Design, and held numerous lectures about Cairo Mosques and Islamic Architecture, he was also a lecturer of Mass Culture at the Public University and PhD Supervisor at the Architecture Department at Blacksburg University, Virginia, USA.
Soliman took part in almost every avant-garde project in visual arts in Egypt in the late sixties and seventies. He contributed in producing al-Majalah, a monthly cultural review, where he worked as layout editor and art critic. He was also a graphic designer for numerous other publications at that time, including al-Katib and Gallery 68. Soliman painted some of his most iconic works during these years as well.
He wrote various art books among which:
Scripts from the Folklore 1977
How to Read a Painting series 1980`s
The Artist`s Freedom 1984
This Other Aspect 1997
Hassan Soliman,
The Last Supper,
Oil on Panel, 120.5 x 198.5cm,1967.
His art work reflects his Egyptian heritage and his own observations of the society in which he lived. Among his masterpieces is his great painting “Last Supper”, which expresses a sense of anguish and helplessness following the 1967 defeat in the war against Israel. Aimed to be in his private museum that he intended to establish, the painting remained in his studio where only his close entourage were able to see it. Sensing that he was going to be unable to fulfill this ambition in his lifetime, the artist contributed this work to the Pharos Art Collection only six months before his passing. It was exhibited in 2010 as part of Pharos Art Collection. In the last Supper, Hassan Soliman alludes to Leonardo Da Vinci`s iconic paintingpainting of the same name, but replaces the figure of Christ with the figure of an Egyptian individual, deceived and deeply disappointed by his surroundings. The figures around him are covered in green masks in an attempt to evoke an implicit sense of deceit and concealed truth, motive and identity. The emerald green stands out against the somber hues of the painting. Additionally, the use of the masks transforms the painting into a scene similar to a masked ball in a theatrical scene, engrossing the viewer in the intensity of the illusion and tragedy. He was particularly inspired by the work of European masters such as those of Da Vinci, Goya’s Shooting of the Third of May as well as Picasso’s Guernica as expressions of artistic creation following tragedy brought on by war. An interesting addition to the composition is the single loaf of bread that remains on the table in front of the central figure. Soliman also uses bread to allude to the socio-economic situation and poverty that thrived in Egypt in the 1960s. He has used the loaf of bread in many of his paintings later on.
Hassan Soliman,
The Nuns,
Oil on Canvas, 63.5 x 48 cm,1957.
Dalloul Art Foundation
Dated 1957, one of his most iconic paintings is the Nuns, a mysterious and mystical painting which infuses a deep sense of serenity and humbleness upon the viewer as a reflection of the devotedness and peacefulness of a nun’s life of service. The painting was given as a wedding gift to the family of Dr. Ahmed Fakhry; the artist’s uncle. The work demonstrates the great capacity of Soliman’s oeuvre. He is effortlessly able to depict emotions of gratitude and refinement in the nuns faces, almost sinking in the black color of their veils and dresses. The background is a repetition of crosses, repetition is heavily referenced in ancient Egyptian art.
Hassan Soliman,
Oil on Canvas, 35 x 40 cm, 1951.
Provenance: Shadi Abdel Salam
Hassan soliman`s painting above is a depiction of the social environment of the coffeeshop which exists in the alleys and streets of old Cairo. He employs dark tones and a central figure of a man sitting in the dark shadows, indicating uncertainty, dramatically contrasting with the lighter tones in the background. Hassan Soliman uses heavy contrast to reflect the paradoxes of life. However, a sense of hope emanates from the light in the background leaving its traces on the man’s figure and face overwhelmed by darkness.
Hassan Soliman,
Oil on Canvas, 50 x 60 cm, 1960.
Provenance: Shadi Abdel Salam
While this still life above is an expression of Soliman’s free and dynamic brush strokes, it also demonstrates his great ability to depict reality with his own sentiment and style. Hassan Soliman reflected his environment with deep and subtle symbolism, firmly grounded in Egyptian culture while mastering western painting techniques.
The two paintings come from Shadi Abdel Salam’s collection, a prominent scenographer who was a friend of the artist and was influenced by his style. One can observe both artists` use of abstraction, contrast, light and space to realize their vision in quest of finding the hidden and the real. Both artists were exposed to western culture and art but focus on reflecting their own heritage, beliefs and environment, each in his own way, creating masterpieces that has and will always remain iconic within Egyptian art and cinema. The era was marked by collaboration and a crosspollination of ideas across different fields of art. Poets, writers, critics, producers and artists of different orientations were working together and constantly influecing and inspiring each other.
Shadi Abdel Salam
1930-1986
Although Shadi Abdel Salam directed only one full length feature film, he is considered one of the most important Egyptian film directors. His reputation transcended local borders to international fame. His film `The Night of Counting the Years `(Released in Arabic as: The Mummy) reintroduced Egyptian cinema to a global audiece with much critical acclaim since it’s first showing at the International Venetian Film Festival in 1970. Because of it’s success locally and internationally, The Mummy was granted several awards including George-Sadoul prize and International Festival of Carthage Critics` Award among others. Abdel Salam also worked alongside Roberto Rossellini, one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, who was a great influence on him.
Shadi Abdel Salam was born in Alexandria on March 15th, 1930. He graduated from Victoria College in 1948, and later moved to England to study theater arts from 1949 to 1950. He finally returned to Cairo and studied architecture at faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo with Hassan Fathi, an Egyptian pioneer architect. He graduated in 1955, and later worked with the well known architect Ramsis W. Wassef.
Shadi Abdel Salam dedicated his life to cinema. He returned to England in 1956 to complete his studies in drama and started his career in cinema by working as an assistant director for Salah Abou Seif in The Thug (el Futuwwa) film in 1957, and later for Henri Barakat and Helmi Halim.
His talents set design were well noticed during his work as an assistant director in the movie `A Love Story (Qessat Houbb)`. He is considered one of the most renowned Egyptian scenographers. His profound knowledge of Egyptian history and culture helped him excel at set and costume design for period films.
He contributed to several Egyptian movies to mention a few:
• Wa Islamah in 1961 by Andrew Marton
• Almaz we Abdou el Hamouli in 1962 by Helmy Rafla
• El Nasir Salah Eddine in 1963 by Youssef Chahine
• Shafiqah el qibtiyyah in 1963 by Hassan el Emam
• Rabea el Adawiyyah in 1963 by Niazi Mustafa
• Amir el dahaa` in 1964 by Henri Barakat
Abdel Salam also took part in international films, working as one of the set designers in `Cleopatra` in 1964, directed by Joseph Mankiewiz. In 1965, he was appointed as consultant for the historical set and costume designs of the film `Pharaoh`, directed by the Polish director Kawalerowicz. He gained outstanding experience in the two films, explaining that `working with Mankiewiz is similar to working in an assembly line in a factory, while working with Kawalerowicz is like going to school.`
In 1967 he designed the set and costumes for the documentary film Mankind`s Fight for Survival by Roberto Rossellini. It was a turning point in his career as he later decided to work as film director. With the help and encouragement of Rossellini,
Abdel Salam started his first project `The Mummy`.He presented his idea to Rossellini in Cairo.Rossellini
was infatuated with the idea and in turn
approached Dr. Tharwat Okasha who immediately supported the project, as well as Nobel prize winner and Director of the Cinema Institution Naguib Mahfouz, who played major role in funding the film.
Shadi Abdel Salam combined narration, image, architecture, light and color. He focused on the visual elements to reflect their dramatic value through abstract images, silence, slow rhythm, and actors’ movement, allowing the spectator to be immersed in an ever-lasting visual experience. The Mummy is considered one of the most iconic Egyptian films so far.
Shadi Abdel Salam directed few short films and documentaries:
• The Eloquent Peasant (el Fallah el fasih) 1970
• Horizons (Afaq) 1972
• Armies of the Sun (Giyoush el shams) 1974
• Tutankhamun’s Chair (Korsi Tout Ankh Amon) 1982
• The Pyramids and Before it (el ahram wa ma qablaha) 1984
• Ramsis II (Ramsis el thani) 1986
It`s worth mentioning that his short film Afaq, solely depended on the visual aspects, through scenes of contemporary artistic shots and movement from music, ballet to drama and local crafts reflecting the Egyptian culture. Ramsis W. Wassef, Salah Marei, Youssef Kamel and Hassan Soliman also contributed to this movie.
In 1968, Abdel Salam was appointed head of the Department of Experimental Film, Public Documentary Film Centre. During his chairmanship, the center became a venue for experimentation for young ambitious filmmakers, among whom were Hisham el Nahas, Daoud Abdel Sayed, Atif el Bakry, Samir Auf, Mohamed Shaaban and Ibrahim el Mugi.
Abdel Salam embarked on his dream project Akhenaton as he dedicated twelve years of preparation and research to the project. He designed the film`s sets and costumes, and diligently supervised all designs that were carried out in his studio by Salah Marei and Onsi Abu Seif. Although Abdel Salam received a number of offers from international film production companies, he insisted on Egyptian funding as he firmly believed that the film had to be fully Egyptian. Sadly enough, Akhenaton was never executed due to the lack of Egyptian funding.
Abdel Salam passed at the age of fifty-six on October 8th, 1986 without having realized his dream. His legacy continued through `Friends of Shadi Abdel Salam Association` which was established after his death to preserve his legacy and works which included sketches, paintings, parts of his scripts and personal library. On the Diamond Jubilee celebrating Shadi Abdel Salam, Bibliotheca Alexandrina acquired his valuable works which are now on permanent display in the Hall entitled `The World of Shadi Abdel Salam` commemorating the birth of the great Alexandrian artist.
“I think that people of my country are unaware of our history and I feel my mission is to make them know some of it and let the others go on with the rest. I regard cinema not as a consumerist art, but as a documentary for next generations.”