Untitled

Painted in 1990, Untitled by Nasser Chaura is one of his very last works in his oeuvre. As such, this work is the ultimate epitome of the artist’s flourishing artistic brilliance, which displays his mastery of assimilating inspiration from the principles of Impressionism, Abstraction, and Nouveau Réalisme in this single veritable painting. Idealising the bountiful orchards that surrounded him while growing up in Syria, the stunning depiction is magical in its sense of evoking vivid warmth of the natural world surrounded by graceful, swaying trees, gazing into a vibrant panorama teeming with a dance of light, shadow, intricate texture, and pristine shapes.

Throughout Chaura’s oeuvre, the themes of nature and landscape dominate. He commented ‘my love for nature was the main inspiration for me as we lived in an old wooden house surrounded by a small vegetable garden’ in the town of al-Muhajireen (‘Nassir Shoura’, in Atassi Foundation). Making drawings while still in school, in 1939 he left for Rome to gain formal artistic training, however returning back to Syria due to the eruption of Second World War. Eventually in 1942, he moved to Egypt, graduating from the Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo in 1947. Engaged in discourses surrounding the arts, Chaura played a pivotal role in establishing several arts organisations in Syria, such as the Veronese Atelier and Group D. These collectives convened regularly to discuss contemporary matters of art and politics, as well as to formulate group exhibitions, marking a pivotal moment in Syrian art history, fostering collaboration and international exchange. Chaura has been widely recognised as the father of Syrian Impressionism.