Lot 97: Cactus

Asim Abu Shaqra (Palestinian, 1961-1990) Cactus oil on paper 39 3/8 x 27½in. (100 x 70cm.) Painted circa 1986

100 x 70cm.

circa 1986

Tel Aviv, Rap Gallery, Asim Abu Shaqra, 1988.

Private Collection of Eitan Hllel (by whom acquired directly from the artist). The Artist's Family, Umm el Fahm. Acquired from the above by the present owner.

Christie's is pleased to present a rare work from Asim Abu Shaqra's esteemed oeuvre. After the Palestinian painter's untimely death at the young age of 28, his works have become even more celebrated and sought after. His masterfully orchestrated paintings are a rich pairing of subject matter and distinct technical experimentation creating a personal homage to nationalist Palestinian sentiment. With the desire to maintain the purity of his paintings, the artist's visual lexicon was deeply informed by elements of the Palestinian landscape, most commonly, the cactus plant. This thorny and tenacious plant provided the platform for his fascinating artistic experimentation. The artist retained a deep sensitivity to the roots hometown in Umm el-Fahm and the diversity and dynamism of this artist's oeuvre has made him the most esteemed Palestinian painter of his generation. As the seventh in a family of ten children, the development of a unique identity was a recurring battle for the artist both in life as well as through his oeuvre. Exacerbated by the obvious confliction between the conservative Muslim principles that he had been raised with and the desire to explore the freedom of contemporary subject matter, the artist produced works of art that did indeed formulate a style that was atypical to normative Palestinian painting. Whilst Shaqra's artistic contemporaries chose the abundance of imagery brought about by the revolution as the forefront of their artistic production, he intentionally chose to explore an alternative method of painting. Leaving behind obvious portrayals of his nationalist identity, Shaqra's form of intimate patriotism manifested itself in the ability to create works of art that were truly nostalgic of his Palestinian heritage. By painting the key visual motifs that had informed the happy memories of his childhood, the artist developed this deeply personal iconography in a way that made evident his closeness to nature from a young age. The challenges that face any artist in a war-riddle country is the unfortunate lack of continuity that consistently plagues their creative process. With the constant realities of dispersion and displacement, the ability to proceed with a continuous artistic journey proves to be an undoubtedly challenging task. Therefore, it is important to consider the fascinating maturity of Shaqra's artistic technique, especially at such a young age. Having unfortunately lost his life to cancer, the artist's youth did not by any means remove from his natural artistic talent. Experimentation was the essence of his style: his determination to explore the dynamism of colour, medium, material and size resulted in an oeuvre which was astoundingly diverse, yet with often recurring subject matters. The motif of the cactus, derived directly from the Palestinian landscape, became the root of the artist's painterly departure. As is present in this masterpiece by the artist, the motif of the cactus transcended far more than merely childhood memories of the artist. It became an icon that was not only symbolic to him, but also one that was truly representational of the history of his homeland. The cactus has become associated to the imagery of Palestine since the late nineteenth century. Serving numerous purposes to the land, this exotic plant was commonly associated as the marker for early territorial boundaries and for the rich fruit the plant produced during the summer. In the present composition, we see the dynamism of Asim Abu Shaqra's technique in action. Through the composition's dark background and use of contrasting whites and pinks, the animated features of the cactus plant appear even more vividly. His powerful brushstrokes and unique choices of colour harmonise to create a work that reveals the simplistic beauty of shape and form and simultaneously the potted cactus engages the viewer in questioning its symbolic meaning - that of a plant than can be both hazardous and fertile. The cactus has been a recurring theme not only in Abu Shaqra's oeuvre, but generally throughout Palestinian visual culture; it alludes to a sense of national identity and hints to the borders that its thorns can metaphorically delineate.