Safwan Dahoul (Syrian, b. 1961)
Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importat… Read more PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, BEIRUT
Safwan Dahoul (Syrian, b. 1961)

Rêve

Details
Safwan Dahoul (Syrian, b. 1961)
Rêve
signed in Arabic and dated '92' (lower right)
oil on canvas
20 7/8 x 16 7/8in. (53 x 43cm.)
Painted in 1992
Provenance
Private Collection, Damascus (by whom acquired directly from the artist circa early 1990s).
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa early 2000s.
Special notice
Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importation value (low estimate) levied at the time of collection shipment within UAE. For UAE buyers, please note that duty is paid at origin (Dubai) and not in the importing country. As such, duty paid in Dubai is treated as final duty payment. It is the buyer's responsibility to ascertain and pay all taxes due.

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Lot Essay

Safwan Dahoul's works from the early 1990s are often associated with romanticism, iconography and reveal his use of deep blue tonalities and a soft palette of captivating hues. After the passing of his beloved wife Nawar, the colours used by Dahoul somehow faded, evidently revealing his own sentiments.

Recognised and celebrated for his depictions of empty cafés - spaces that resemble private cosmoses by the silence that they evoke - Dahoul often depicts a single figure or sometimes a couple like in the present work. Their posture and expressions suggest a close and intimate relationship, as the man gently holds his lover. This serene embrace becomes a metaphor to the artist's inner observation about himself and feelings of love.

The present lot, a charming example from the artist's Blue period, depicts two loving, yet solitaire, figures amidst mundane objects of everyday life, such as empty cups, chairs and tables that are scattered throughout and suggest traces of earlier visitors and a chaotic ambiance. The table, in the upper part of the composition, seems imposing and is beautifully lit like a theatre stage. Aesthetically, Dahoul purposely defines the carved wooden lines of the chairs as if to replicate the lovers' embrace. The couple, seated in the corner, observes the chaotic scene in front of their eyes. The woman's head is bowed and although she is warmly embraced by her lover, she seems to be longing for another reality, feeling somehow nostalgic and dreamy.

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