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Lot Essay
Receiving his degree in 1961 at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, Rakan Dabdoub then earned his bachelor’s degree, and later joined the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. These were his first steps into developing the basis for his artistic style and his departure from the specificity he was taught in Baghdad. He became a distinguished artist after he participated in the Exhibition of Arab Artists held in Rome in the 1960’s. When he returned to Mosul after his expeditions in Italy, he became a teacher at the University of Mosul in the Engineering Department. He retired as a teacher in 1993 and continued to paint and contribute to several exhibitions in and out of Iraq.
In his early years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Dabdoub initiated his artistic practice in wood carvings; because of this, we can clearly see elements of these carvings in his paintings. It is actually said of his works that he paints as he carves; his paintings possess a certain strength and color density which suggest a third dimension. Haunted with the lights and shadows of his hometown, Mosul, his talent is to capture what’s in front of him. Art consumes his life, and his life obviously consumes his art. In each of his panels, we clearly see the influences of his Arab heritage.
Using warm colors, mostly yellow and orange, it’s clear that Dabdoub uses his surroundings as his main influencers. The almost square canvas seems to have a frame within itself. Within this frame, we see clear connotations to symbolism with graffiti-like inscriptions and figurative forms. Expressing himself through this canvas does not seem like a difficult task for Dabdoub, as his brushstrokes create a sense of three dimensionality and as he allows the audience’s view to really seep into the painting as this dimensionality doesn’t seem to end.
In his early years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Dabdoub initiated his artistic practice in wood carvings; because of this, we can clearly see elements of these carvings in his paintings. It is actually said of his works that he paints as he carves; his paintings possess a certain strength and color density which suggest a third dimension. Haunted with the lights and shadows of his hometown, Mosul, his talent is to capture what’s in front of him. Art consumes his life, and his life obviously consumes his art. In each of his panels, we clearly see the influences of his Arab heritage.
Using warm colors, mostly yellow and orange, it’s clear that Dabdoub uses his surroundings as his main influencers. The almost square canvas seems to have a frame within itself. Within this frame, we see clear connotations to symbolism with graffiti-like inscriptions and figurative forms. Expressing himself through this canvas does not seem like a difficult task for Dabdoub, as his brushstrokes create a sense of three dimensionality and as he allows the audience’s view to really seep into the painting as this dimensionality doesn’t seem to end.