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Lot Essay
Kadhim Haydar is regarded as one of the most influential figures of the modern Iraqi art movement. Born in Baghdad in 1932, he studied literature at the Higher Institute of Teachers while simultaneously pursuing a degree at the Institute of Fine Arts, graduating from both in 1957. He later continued his training in London, where he studied theatre design, lithography, and painting at the College of Art.
Upon his return to Baghdad, Haydar joined the faculty of the Institute of Fine Arts. From an early stage, his drawings and paintings revealed a singular vision, marked by a deep engagement with the human condition. Bringing together his diverse academic and artistic training, he developed a multidisciplinary practice that combined literary, theatrical, and visual elements. Haydar’s originality lies in his ability to translate a unique outlook on life into a visual language that remained in constant evolution, both in style and in technique.
In the present work, Language of the Birds, Haydar revisits his anthropomorphized creatures. A yellow bird, warmly coloured, impresses itself boldly against a muddied, deep green background, imbuing the painting with a sense of weightlessness. Beneath this subject, a series of geometric planes intersect, moving toward the tail end of a human body which has metamorphosised into a bird.
Birds occupy a significant place in Kadhim Haydar’s visual language, serving both symbolic and compositional functions. Drawing on Arabic poetry and folklore, they often embody themes of freedom, transcendence, and the soul’s yearning, while at times reflecting states of loss or confinement that parallel Iraq’s historical and political struggles. The title of the piece references the "Surat Al-Naml" in the Qur’an, in which Solomon mentions the existence of a language only the birds know as a testimony to God’s grace.
Frequently positioned as silent witnesses to human suffering, birds in Haydar’s work amplify his meditations on martyrdom, resilience, and the endurance of the human spirit. Their fluid forms also serve a structural purpose within his compositions, introducing rhythm and softness that counterbalance the rigidity of architectural or figurative elements. In this way, the motif of the bird encapsulates Haydar’s poetic vision, where allegory and formal experimentation converge to express the complexities of contemporary life.
His artworks are part of important private and public collections across the globe including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, and the Ibrahimi Collection, Amman.
Upon his return to Baghdad, Haydar joined the faculty of the Institute of Fine Arts. From an early stage, his drawings and paintings revealed a singular vision, marked by a deep engagement with the human condition. Bringing together his diverse academic and artistic training, he developed a multidisciplinary practice that combined literary, theatrical, and visual elements. Haydar’s originality lies in his ability to translate a unique outlook on life into a visual language that remained in constant evolution, both in style and in technique.
In the present work, Language of the Birds, Haydar revisits his anthropomorphized creatures. A yellow bird, warmly coloured, impresses itself boldly against a muddied, deep green background, imbuing the painting with a sense of weightlessness. Beneath this subject, a series of geometric planes intersect, moving toward the tail end of a human body which has metamorphosised into a bird.
Birds occupy a significant place in Kadhim Haydar’s visual language, serving both symbolic and compositional functions. Drawing on Arabic poetry and folklore, they often embody themes of freedom, transcendence, and the soul’s yearning, while at times reflecting states of loss or confinement that parallel Iraq’s historical and political struggles. The title of the piece references the "Surat Al-Naml" in the Qur’an, in which Solomon mentions the existence of a language only the birds know as a testimony to God’s grace.
Frequently positioned as silent witnesses to human suffering, birds in Haydar’s work amplify his meditations on martyrdom, resilience, and the endurance of the human spirit. Their fluid forms also serve a structural purpose within his compositions, introducing rhythm and softness that counterbalance the rigidity of architectural or figurative elements. In this way, the motif of the bird encapsulates Haydar’s poetic vision, where allegory and formal experimentation converge to express the complexities of contemporary life.
His artworks are part of important private and public collections across the globe including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, and the Ibrahimi Collection, Amman.