The Peasant of the Olive Mountain

The present work by acclaimed artist Fateh Moudarres is a captivating example from the artist's celebrated oeuvre. Characterised by square-shaped heads and exaggerated eyes in a luminous blue and red colour palette, Moudarres created works by resurrecting the Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylonian figurative styles and adapted them to form his own artistic language. In the present work Moudarres has honed and perfected this distinct style, including the addition of a totemic form in which figures are depicted one above the other. Believing that all events are intrinsically linked, these stacked figures pertain to his understanding of historical events and the links between survival, Man and God. Choosing to stack these figures in a vertical manner references the stone columns of Palmyra and the direct connection between man and his faith.

With political and social unrest sweeping the Arab World, Moudarres sought to depict the changes and problems everyday people encountered as rapid developments changed the way people lived, particularly in Syria. Having been forced to move to Damascus, Moudarres was especially moved by the life of the peasants in Syria's countryside.