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Lot Essay
Christie's is proud to present two remarkable works by the Syrian artist Louay Kayyali from the Private Collection of the late Léon Kneider; these works were passed on to his son, Joseph Léon Kneider. Kneider, a well-known merchant and industrialist, kept an office on the illustrious Baron Street of Aleppo, situated in the heart of the city, where intellectuals, writers, artists and playwrights would frequent the small cafés and in particular the tiny Al Qasser café. These cafés were popular among the bohemians, intellectuals and artists, who would lounge there all evening, smoking, debating and sipping absinthe, while awaiting the arrival of Aleppo's famous 'Muwashahat' singers.
Occasionally visiting Al Qasser café, Kneider often met with the group of artists who haunted it at the time, such as Louay Kayyali and Fateh Moudarres and as a result, he was able to build a small yet significant collection of masterpieces by these celebrated Syrian painters. Joseph Kneider, Leon Kneider's youngest son, was raised with fond memories of these two paintings on the wall of their apartment on Mahattet Baghdad Street, where an old family-owned building stood near the train station. Also the residence of his uncle Raymond Kneider, a prominent journalist who established the Arab World Newspaper in Montreal, the love for Kayyali's works was very much a family affair, leading to Raymond to organise exhibitions showcasing Kayyali's work in the early 1980s after the artist had sadly passed away.
In this unique composition, Kayyali paints a modern-day violinist that recalls the musicians he would hear while he visited the numerous cafés. The tall, elegant, young musician maintains a sense of pride as a result of his experience, whilst holding up his violin as he is deeply entranced by the harmony of the music he is playing. Standing behind what seems like a green curtain on a dimly-lit stage, there is little colouring, emphasising the subject's hand, face and instrument and focusing the viewers' attention on the importance of the music itself.
1973, the year the present work was painted, marked a healthy beginning for the fragile artist who had previously suffered from severe depression, triggered by the events that had unravelled in 1967 and worsened by the death of his father Hussein Kayyali in 1970. As a result, Kayyali's early works in 1973 developed a distinct, fleeting style. Using fluid, but shaky lines, his subject's hands are painted in a classical manner that was typical of his signature style. His formerly typical blue tone however, is omitted, marking a period of artistic transformation at the time Azef Kaman was painted.
Occasionally visiting Al Qasser café, Kneider often met with the group of artists who haunted it at the time, such as Louay Kayyali and Fateh Moudarres and as a result, he was able to build a small yet significant collection of masterpieces by these celebrated Syrian painters. Joseph Kneider, Leon Kneider's youngest son, was raised with fond memories of these two paintings on the wall of their apartment on Mahattet Baghdad Street, where an old family-owned building stood near the train station. Also the residence of his uncle Raymond Kneider, a prominent journalist who established the Arab World Newspaper in Montreal, the love for Kayyali's works was very much a family affair, leading to Raymond to organise exhibitions showcasing Kayyali's work in the early 1980s after the artist had sadly passed away.
In this unique composition, Kayyali paints a modern-day violinist that recalls the musicians he would hear while he visited the numerous cafés. The tall, elegant, young musician maintains a sense of pride as a result of his experience, whilst holding up his violin as he is deeply entranced by the harmony of the music he is playing. Standing behind what seems like a green curtain on a dimly-lit stage, there is little colouring, emphasising the subject's hand, face and instrument and focusing the viewers' attention on the importance of the music itself.
1973, the year the present work was painted, marked a healthy beginning for the fragile artist who had previously suffered from severe depression, triggered by the events that had unravelled in 1967 and worsened by the death of his father Hussein Kayyali in 1970. As a result, Kayyali's early works in 1973 developed a distinct, fleeting style. Using fluid, but shaky lines, his subject's hands are painted in a classical manner that was typical of his signature style. His formerly typical blue tone however, is omitted, marking a period of artistic transformation at the time Azef Kaman was painted.