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Lot Essay
Christie's is delighted to offer one of the earliest works by the master of Syrian Modern art Louay Kayyali for the first time at auction. The present work, depicting a highly expressive scene of a military encounter, was painted in 1952 when Kayyali was only eighteen. Kayyali, a positive and hopeful man, gained his personal independence around the same time as his beloved country, when in 1946 Syria was liberated from the French mandate. In the 1950s, his homeland was still in its early stages of recovery from the oppressive foreign occupation and began to regain its identity as a nation, only to enter yet another battle with a neighbouring state.
1952 marks the year during which the present untitled battle scene was depicted as well as the first public appearance of Kayyali's work, an event that took place in his secondary school in Aleppo, the Madrasset Al Tajhiz Al Oula- Al Ma'moun Secondary School. Prior to that, Kayyali's art was only known to his family and friends, for whom he had painted many portraits and commissioned works.
This early work shows a conflicted, young Arab nationalist fighting for his country. By depicting this dynamic and expressive image of the soldiers in the midst of action, Kayyali places himself amongst his fellow citizens in the battle field. By doing so, the artist brings his patriotism and involvement in the conflict to the foreground, an involvement that was rather psychological than physical. Kayyali thus embraces his role as a war artist, but finds inspiration in the historical facts as well as his own imagination, distinguishing himself from the artistically gifted soldiers who were deployed on the battle fields to depict and document the military in action. Kayyali's works were genuinely influenced by European Old Masters' paintings, which were known to depict scenes of victories, conquests and successful battles to intimidate opponents and celebrate the success and dedication of their combatants.
Although the Syrian military had proudly regained its territory from the French by 1946, the nation's suffering continued as it entered war with a new enemy. In 1948, a large group of Palestinians were forced by Israelis to leave their land. Post-independence, Syrian soldiers - who previously were disorganised groups that had participated in the struggle for Syrian independence - became part of an official army and were subsequently trained and as such, wore the official Syrian military uniforms with pride.
In the present outstanding battle scene, four young soldiers are depicted in action. The artist's stylistic approach is a manifestation of the subject's psyche at the time of the scene; lost and burned by the tribulations of war, the soldiers scramble to their next task without a clear perspective of mind or sight. The viewer therefore empathises with the wounded soldier, agonised by his injured arm, who is still raring to go on with his eyes firmly set on the struggle in front of him. The two central figures are focused on the battlefield. One is near the ground in a high crawl position while the other is trying to fee from the mayhem. The soldier on the right is proudly holding the official flag of independent Syria. The green, white and black flag with three distinct stars of unity is a symbolically charged visual that was significant throughout Kayyali's life and career.
Kayyali set this scene against a flaming palette with a dominant orange tone. All the elements in this dynamic composition display his considerable artistic skills and acute representation of bodies in motion. Instead of exalting the bravery of early military exploits, Kayyali bears witness to a brutal display of human violence and the suffering that results from it. Although Kayyali never pursued military art as a theme in his extensive oeuvre, the essence of portraying the struggles and suffering of the Syrian people is what defined the artist's complete oeuvre. The present work is unquestionably one of the most important and significant works to ever appear at auction by Louay Kayyali and an unprecedented discovery.
1952 marks the year during which the present untitled battle scene was depicted as well as the first public appearance of Kayyali's work, an event that took place in his secondary school in Aleppo, the Madrasset Al Tajhiz Al Oula- Al Ma'moun Secondary School. Prior to that, Kayyali's art was only known to his family and friends, for whom he had painted many portraits and commissioned works.
This early work shows a conflicted, young Arab nationalist fighting for his country. By depicting this dynamic and expressive image of the soldiers in the midst of action, Kayyali places himself amongst his fellow citizens in the battle field. By doing so, the artist brings his patriotism and involvement in the conflict to the foreground, an involvement that was rather psychological than physical. Kayyali thus embraces his role as a war artist, but finds inspiration in the historical facts as well as his own imagination, distinguishing himself from the artistically gifted soldiers who were deployed on the battle fields to depict and document the military in action. Kayyali's works were genuinely influenced by European Old Masters' paintings, which were known to depict scenes of victories, conquests and successful battles to intimidate opponents and celebrate the success and dedication of their combatants.
Although the Syrian military had proudly regained its territory from the French by 1946, the nation's suffering continued as it entered war with a new enemy. In 1948, a large group of Palestinians were forced by Israelis to leave their land. Post-independence, Syrian soldiers - who previously were disorganised groups that had participated in the struggle for Syrian independence - became part of an official army and were subsequently trained and as such, wore the official Syrian military uniforms with pride.
In the present outstanding battle scene, four young soldiers are depicted in action. The artist's stylistic approach is a manifestation of the subject's psyche at the time of the scene; lost and burned by the tribulations of war, the soldiers scramble to their next task without a clear perspective of mind or sight. The viewer therefore empathises with the wounded soldier, agonised by his injured arm, who is still raring to go on with his eyes firmly set on the struggle in front of him. The two central figures are focused on the battlefield. One is near the ground in a high crawl position while the other is trying to fee from the mayhem. The soldier on the right is proudly holding the official flag of independent Syria. The green, white and black flag with three distinct stars of unity is a symbolically charged visual that was significant throughout Kayyali's life and career.
Kayyali set this scene against a flaming palette with a dominant orange tone. All the elements in this dynamic composition display his considerable artistic skills and acute representation of bodies in motion. Instead of exalting the bravery of early military exploits, Kayyali bears witness to a brutal display of human violence and the suffering that results from it. Although Kayyali never pursued military art as a theme in his extensive oeuvre, the essence of portraying the struggles and suffering of the Syrian people is what defined the artist's complete oeuvre. The present work is unquestionably one of the most important and significant works to ever appear at auction by Louay Kayyali and an unprecedented discovery.