Picasso Gallery: ‘Gamal Abd El Nasser – The Dream'

After Mubarak's pictures were taken down off the streets, you'd think that the glorification of political leaders had come to an end. Apparently, Picasso Gallery in Zamalek disagree and have launched a group exhibition of artwork commemorating former president Gamal Abd El Nasser, which was inaugurated by his daughter Hoda. The exhibition is titled ‘Abd El Nasser - The Dream' and remembers Abd El Nasser as a leader through various artwork. According to Picasso Gallery's press release, the ‘dream' refers to Abd El Nasser's championing of social justice, freedom, dignity, equality and solidarity with the poor.

The art gallery displays different paintings by various artists from different time periods. The styles range from pop art to abstract pieces. The most striking piece without a doubt is Mohamed Sabry's painting of Abd El Nasser addressing the UN in 1961. Abd El Nasser is portrayed as larger than everyone, with the other world leaders gazing on at him admiringly while listening to his speech. Though the painting is quite impressive, it has some major faults (such as incorrectly spellt country names) and the overall feeling is that the painter was either a big fan of the leader or he was simply assigned to glorify him in a painting.

The same can be said of Hamed Owais' painting, where Abd El Nasser is once again the bigger man surrounded by an audience in awe. This time, the audience consists of Egyptians and the painting seems to imply that Abd El Nasser is in fact the greatest thing that has ever happened in Egyptian history. Mostafa Hussein goes one step further and depicts Abd El Nasser asEgypt. In this painting, Nasser's torso is shaped likeEgyptwithEgypt's well-known artefacts drawn inside, and above the torso is of course Abd El Nasser's face. Helmy El Touny's pop art piece is more creative; as he has made great use of Abd El Nasser's facial features such as his distinctive nose and chin.

Though the art on display is aesthetically pleasing, there is a certain undertone to this exhibition that might not sit well with everyone. The exhibition insinuates that the January 25th revolution is a direct result of Abd El Nasser's revolution. The booklet handed out in the gallery explicitly states: ‘And now six decades later the young people, together with the masses, of Egypt have revolted, raising the slogans of justice and freedom and resurrecting those unfulfilled principles, thus proving that the dreams of nations never die until transformed into reality.' Abd El Nasser fans will be thoroughly pleased.

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Contemporary Abstraction

This painting truly lives up to it's name. This whimsical piece's greatest attraction is it's lovely selection of deep bold colors and the patterns that are created out of these colors and the thin lines they are applied with. This abstract painting uses criss crossing repetitive lines to produce an attractive artwork rich with shapes and saturated with interesting lines that will allow a viewer to look at the piece for hours without growing bored of untangling all the deep lines within the painting's edges. This piece is highly focused on straight lines repeated from the outside and working their way towards the interior of the piece. The color palatte consists of deep blues, specks of golden yellow, and highlights of white. The darker lines that contrast the delicate colors are used heavily in the centerpiece of the painting creating an image that is wanting its meaning to be figured out. In addition, these lines, while fittingly abstract suggest a modern feel with the use of bold lines and subtle colors of this piece. These lines seem to point to the corners of the piece, moving the eye from the center to the outer edges of the piece in an attractive way.

While this original abstract painting is presented on a single canvas, the repeated lines almost make it feel as if there are multiple paintings contained within this one canvas. The single panel design utilized very well by the artist of this piece keeps with the painting's delicate, straightforward sweetness that doesn't need any more lines cutting through it, as it is already interesting enough. The simplicity and delicate nature of this painting will make it look very attractive in any space that wants to evoke the emotions of the viewer. The painting's size and understated color palette will make it fill many empty walls in a lovely fashion. If you are interested in the shapes and lines that are depicted in this painting, try perusing the Modern Canvas section where you will find paintings that incorporate elements of the abstract, sweet style of this original painting. If Contemporary Abstraction resonates with you, you may feel similarly about Modern Depiction, that shares the repeated shapes and abstract elements that suggest concrete subjects as are present in Contemporary Abstraction.

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Contemporary Abstraction

Abstract Serenity

Abstract Serenity is a natrual abstracted painting that, utilizes unique techniques to create a beautiful piece. The artist uses a muted color palatte mainly comprised of rusty browns and golden yellows with highlights of navy and whites. This piece incorporates many different lines  that show depth and dimension by virtue of it's carefully applied lines and the thick application of the paint in some sections of the canvas. The highlight lines across the canvas serve to create more shadows on the canvas that draw attention to each part of the painting, it also adds to the dimension creating a deeper feel. The canvas is accentuated by the repeated lines within it that intersect and vary in size all the way from edge to edge. This increases the interest of the piece and makes it more unique and distinct from other pieces.  The colors and lines of this piece are distinct while maintaining a quiet nature that is suitable for it's subject matter and the lovely colors it chooses to focus on. The easy feel of this piece makes it well suited for any number of homes- from an apartment in the city to a vacation home on the lake. It's calming color and strong, understated lines make it very pleasing and attractive to the eye and a soothing addition to any wall.

This painting was created and is available for purchase on a single large canvas. The lines of the piece are best suited for a single canvas as they are so smooth and fluid that they are able to quite easily find their groove with a single canvas to explore. The lines stretch out across the painting,  parallel the edges of the canvas and create a repetition that is pleasing and frames the main subject of the piece. The size of the piece makes it suitable for a lot of different wall spaces and room sizes while adding a calming point of interest to a room's decorations. If you are interested in finding more original paintings like this one, consider taking a moment to explore the Flower Canvas section, where you will find more dynamic settings created in beautiful ways. One canvas in particular that will be of interest to you if you are attracted to the shapes and feel of Abstract Serenity is Contemporary Abstraction.

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Abstract Serenity

Italian Spray

Italian Spray is a truly luminous painting that relies on bold lines to evoke emotion in it's viewers. This painting is an abstract in the truest sense, in that it re-envisions a common subject and forces the viewer to change the way they look at it and think of it from that moment onward. In this painting the flower becomes a dramatic subject from which thick petals give a dark yet beautiful tone. This painting not only utilizes cold colors to create a stone effect, but adds depth by incorporating heavier tones such as black that create fascinating, contrasting shadows to the patches of lighter colors dancing across the canvas. The beautifully curved lines of this piece move in waves across it and give a smoothness and relaxing quality to this piece with the smallest hints of movement. This piece will add a unique feel as well as a lightness to any room. The colors and style of this piece will not only attract attention but add balance and elegance to a home or office.

This painting comes on a single canvas that creates a lovely fluidity between the lines, shapes and shadows that fill up the canvas so becomingly. The canvas is elongated vertically to allow the meandering lines that cross the canvas to explore and expand. The slightly off center positioning of the main subject gives a classy look to the piece. The single canvas layout of this piece is very attractive for the somewhat traditional subject matter and does not break up the contents of the piece. If you find yourself becoming very engaged with the brilliance and joyousness of this piece, you may also want to spend some time browsing the many bright and beautiful original paintings for sale in our Landscape Canvas gallery. In particular you will surely want to take a moment to view Lilac Fieldsthat, like Italian Spray is vivid and re-creates a seemingly straightforward subject.Italian Spray is a truly luminous painting that relies on bold lines to evoke emotion in it's viewers. This painting is an abstract in the truest sense, in that it re-envisions a common subject and forces the viewer to change the way they look at it and think of it from that moment onward. In this painting the flower becomes a dramatic subject from which thick petals give a dark yet beautiful tone. This painting not only utilizes cold colors to create a stone effect, but adds depth by incorporating heavier tones such as black that create fascinating, contrasting shadows to the patches of lighter colors dancing across the canvas. The beautifully curved lines of this piece move in waves across it and give a smoothness and relaxing quality to this piece with the smallest hints of movement. This piece will add a unique feel as well as a lightness to any room. The colors and style of this piece will not only attract attention but add balance and elegance to a home or office.

 

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Italian Spray