Granddaughter of Iraqi artist Suad al-Attar discusses new book about painter’s life, career
DUBAI: Baghdad-born artist Suad Al-Attar was a trailblazer for women in her homeland. In the 1960s, while still a teenager, she reportedly became the first female artist to have a solo exhibition in Iraq.
Her enigmatic paintings – reflecting on themes of love, loss and longing – have since been acquired by the British Museum and the Arab Museum of Modern Art, and are displayed at Leighton House, the Barbican Center and the UNESCO Center in Paris.
Now, the artist’s granddaughter, UK-based art historian Nessma Shubbar, is publishing a 100-image monograph looking back at al-Attar’s long life and career. It is based on interviews with his grandmother, now in her early eighties but still active as a performer.
The artist’s granddaughter is publishing a 100-image monograph looking back at al-Attar’s long life and career. (supply)
“It’s really quite a privilege to walk into her flat and see these masterpieces of her painting,” Shubbar told Arab News.
It seems that al-Attar was destined to become an artist. When she was a child, her mother, who had briefly studied painting in Beirut, presented al-Attar with a paintbox of her own. His brother also followed him on trips to the riverbank to photograph and paint sunsets. His late sister Layla was also an important figure in Iraq’s art scene – a talented artist and director of the Iraqi National Art Museum.
With the approval of al-Attar’s parents, a room in his residence was converted into his makeshift studio. “By her own admission, she really wouldn’t have gone this far in the art world if it wasn’t for him actively encouraging and supporting her,” Shubbar said.
Suad at age 14 in 1954 – photo originally appeared in Ahl Al Nafat magazine. (supply)
In 1957, Al-Attar performed his work in his high-school graduation show, which boosted his confidence, at a time when the country was booming culturally. “Iraq, at the time, was one of the foremost Middle Eastern countries for artistic creation and production,” Shubbar explained. “I think in that initial exposure, she really felt like she was a part of something. She was on her way to something great.
1976 was a life-changing year for al-Attar. Like many other Iraqis, his family left the country and moved to the UK. She has lived and worked in London ever since. Being away from his homeland has had a major impact on his art, as have decades of struggle.
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003, in particular, informed her powerful pen drawings and watercolors of women screaming as bombs fall. “He repeated (the motive). I think it was fixed in his head,” Shuber said.
Tribute to Medinat al-Salam, 2010. (supply)
In general, however, al-Attar’s other-worldly paintings transport the viewer to a peaceful, dreamlike world of united lovers, mythical creatures, idyllic scenes of Iraq, and gardens of paradise.
His work is often allegorical, using motifs from Mesopotamian history. Their use of such symbols, reflecting an era of ancient glory, increased during the turbulent nineties, especially with the outbreak of the Gulf War. It’s a reminder of the past of what used to be – creating a vision of home for yourself.
There is a sense of sadness and longing in al-Attar’s work. On the back of a painting made in 2000, titled “Tender Embrace”, she has written a few lines from an Arabic poem: “How many tears do we shed that night when we part / Masquerading our sorrow by saying ‘It only rains'” We do.” ,
View from the Garden of Eden 1, an oil painting from 2011. (supply)
Although al-Attar is well known in the Arab world, he has not pursued international recognition. “She never hired a PR or manager,” Shubbar said. “She told me she doesn’t regret it. What she wants doesn’t line up with what she needs.
While interviewing Al-Attar as well as researching his 216-page monograph, Shubbar looked through old catalogs and exhibition invitations. The book includes a selection of older snapshots of Al-Attar with big hair and kohl-lined light eyes. “Obviously, she’s a glamorous person,” Shubbar said. “She’s stylish beyond the canvas. The designs, styles and colors translated into her home life.
For Shubbar, working on this book has confirmed what she always looked for in her grandmother. “One thing I was in awe of again was how prolific she was – she did a lot of paintings,” she said. “That’s really the essence of her. She was born to do it.