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Lot Essay
In these two poetic works by Bicar, the viewer is transported deep into the heart of the Egyptian land and its magical stories. With the fascinating ability to observe reality and translate it into rigorously patriotic and seamlessly crafted works of art, the artist uses an aesthetic which blends realism with idealism, to imbue the scenes of his homeland with a beautiful sense of familiarity, capturing the stunning beauty of the region. Bicar harmonises Egyptian folk culture with his fascination for ancient Egypt and Pharaonic civilisation and stories of One Thousand and One Nights, creating visual stories which transports the viewer into an alternate reality.
Bicar boasts his wealth of knowledge on the Egyptian landscape through his canvases by portraying both a man and woman working in the fields, yet undoubtedly approaching his subjects with a sense of personal familiarity. Enhanced by a significant attention to detail, the artist constructs both his protagonists with an unwavering sense of realism. The woman’s face in profile, her body is drawn in a triangular shape, like that of a strong pyramid.
He accentuates its every feature of her beautiful fertile body wrapped in a tight pink dress, beneath the length of her black veil. Similarly, the male figure in this present work in an opposite profile direction, standing proud behind her. Their gazes looking east and west, to all of Egypt, her gaze is towards the land, the fertile soul, of land, symbolic of womanhood, while his is to the horizon. With a deep-rooted affinity for women, being conscious of the role which they play in society, Bicar chooses to place the female in the foreground to cement her status as the one who dominates the scene, elevating her standing within the context of the working class.
With an unwavering desire to paint with a certain level of authenticity and documentary, Bicar most famously spent time gaining insight on Nubia and the way of life of its people. He was one of many artists who travelled to Nubia in order to document its people before the swelling of the Aswan Dam which led to the eventual destruction of the area. With this in mind, Bicar paints with a certain authority on the subject. With the mountainous landscape in the background being approached by the rolling hills and crop fields beneath it, each of Bicar’s scenes are laced with an undeniable sense of pride which simultaneously implement a visual lexicon nodding to pharaonic civilisation and their artistic practice.
Hussein Bicar shares a deep passion for nature and his surroundings. Using his works to amalgamate the deep roots of Egyptian history, the nature of its people, the political climate and the innate beauty of the land itself, he delves into the essence of Egyptian society and rural life through his undeniably patriotic compositions, the artist’s beautiful painterly aesthetic invites his viewers to step inside a world of rural Egyptian splendour.
Deeply conscious of Pan-Arabian culture at the height of Egyptian socialism and its failure, Bicar imbued a strong sense of nationalism through his works that sought influence from political posters, consequently painting with deep underlying political undertones. In the first work, Bicar’s agenda is to highlight the strength of the masses, between men and women, through the union of the couple, and eventually the family and their hope for a bright future.
In the seminal second work, the viewer is transported to a magical Arabian night that could be taken from the legends of the Thousand and One Nights. A delicate beautiful composition in three levels of what looks like two lovers, a musician and his woman, set in a theatrical atmosphere under the full moon light. The composition is built with props, dark and light areas, like the lights on a stage.
The artist approaches both his female and male protagonists with a lot of respect and delicacy, giving each of them a prominent equal exposure in this composition.
The woman is shown in full profile entering the painting from the right with a delicate silhouette holding with both hands a copper tray bringing a glass of drink to her musician. Her mind is focused on her offering, walking slowly in the night composition, as if not to awake the sleepy life around her.
Her long body, elusive curves and accentuated feminine features are intrinsic to Bicar’s style. Her Nubian partner wrapped in the clean white jallabiya, the traditional festive dress of Nubia, is holding his instrument on his lap while his elongated fingers are playing a tune, gliding his lover to her place. This is a harmonious well-balanced picture. With the delicacy of each brushstroke, the artist employs a great deal of consistency and detail into the crafting of his paintings. With a great attention to detail, portraying each contour with undeniable sensitivity, Bicar nods to the beauty of the people of all places and emphasises on their role in the cultural history of Egypt.
Infatuated by Nubian culture, the artist, like many of his counterparts, was captivated by the area before its disappearance with the Aswan Dam. Travelling there to obtain a detailed visual account on Nubian traditions and customs, the sense of realism with which Bicar paints became the perfect technique by which to record these observations into beautifully crafted compositions. This realistic, yet idyllic technique which became the backbone of his painterly practice, gave precedence to a great attention to detail. Conscious of the importance between light and dark, Bicar’s use of shadow creates a sense of movement whilst simultaneously providing a fascinating sense of dimensionality.
Bicar was an Egyptian born artist who was known for far more than merely his ability as a painter, as he was equally an illustrative journalist, portrait artist, poet, art critic and teacher. He left from the time where the socialist and nationalist sentiment in the 1980s was at its highest.
Bicar boasts his wealth of knowledge on the Egyptian landscape through his canvases by portraying both a man and woman working in the fields, yet undoubtedly approaching his subjects with a sense of personal familiarity. Enhanced by a significant attention to detail, the artist constructs both his protagonists with an unwavering sense of realism. The woman’s face in profile, her body is drawn in a triangular shape, like that of a strong pyramid.
He accentuates its every feature of her beautiful fertile body wrapped in a tight pink dress, beneath the length of her black veil. Similarly, the male figure in this present work in an opposite profile direction, standing proud behind her. Their gazes looking east and west, to all of Egypt, her gaze is towards the land, the fertile soul, of land, symbolic of womanhood, while his is to the horizon. With a deep-rooted affinity for women, being conscious of the role which they play in society, Bicar chooses to place the female in the foreground to cement her status as the one who dominates the scene, elevating her standing within the context of the working class.
With an unwavering desire to paint with a certain level of authenticity and documentary, Bicar most famously spent time gaining insight on Nubia and the way of life of its people. He was one of many artists who travelled to Nubia in order to document its people before the swelling of the Aswan Dam which led to the eventual destruction of the area. With this in mind, Bicar paints with a certain authority on the subject. With the mountainous landscape in the background being approached by the rolling hills and crop fields beneath it, each of Bicar’s scenes are laced with an undeniable sense of pride which simultaneously implement a visual lexicon nodding to pharaonic civilisation and their artistic practice.
Hussein Bicar shares a deep passion for nature and his surroundings. Using his works to amalgamate the deep roots of Egyptian history, the nature of its people, the political climate and the innate beauty of the land itself, he delves into the essence of Egyptian society and rural life through his undeniably patriotic compositions, the artist’s beautiful painterly aesthetic invites his viewers to step inside a world of rural Egyptian splendour.
Deeply conscious of Pan-Arabian culture at the height of Egyptian socialism and its failure, Bicar imbued a strong sense of nationalism through his works that sought influence from political posters, consequently painting with deep underlying political undertones. In the first work, Bicar’s agenda is to highlight the strength of the masses, between men and women, through the union of the couple, and eventually the family and their hope for a bright future.
In the seminal second work, the viewer is transported to a magical Arabian night that could be taken from the legends of the Thousand and One Nights. A delicate beautiful composition in three levels of what looks like two lovers, a musician and his woman, set in a theatrical atmosphere under the full moon light. The composition is built with props, dark and light areas, like the lights on a stage.
The artist approaches both his female and male protagonists with a lot of respect and delicacy, giving each of them a prominent equal exposure in this composition.
The woman is shown in full profile entering the painting from the right with a delicate silhouette holding with both hands a copper tray bringing a glass of drink to her musician. Her mind is focused on her offering, walking slowly in the night composition, as if not to awake the sleepy life around her.
Her long body, elusive curves and accentuated feminine features are intrinsic to Bicar’s style. Her Nubian partner wrapped in the clean white jallabiya, the traditional festive dress of Nubia, is holding his instrument on his lap while his elongated fingers are playing a tune, gliding his lover to her place. This is a harmonious well-balanced picture. With the delicacy of each brushstroke, the artist employs a great deal of consistency and detail into the crafting of his paintings. With a great attention to detail, portraying each contour with undeniable sensitivity, Bicar nods to the beauty of the people of all places and emphasises on their role in the cultural history of Egypt.
Infatuated by Nubian culture, the artist, like many of his counterparts, was captivated by the area before its disappearance with the Aswan Dam. Travelling there to obtain a detailed visual account on Nubian traditions and customs, the sense of realism with which Bicar paints became the perfect technique by which to record these observations into beautifully crafted compositions. This realistic, yet idyllic technique which became the backbone of his painterly practice, gave precedence to a great attention to detail. Conscious of the importance between light and dark, Bicar’s use of shadow creates a sense of movement whilst simultaneously providing a fascinating sense of dimensionality.
Bicar was an Egyptian born artist who was known for far more than merely his ability as a painter, as he was equally an illustrative journalist, portrait artist, poet, art critic and teacher. He left from the time where the socialist and nationalist sentiment in the 1980s was at its highest.