Lot 144: Elie Kanaan (Lebanese, b. 1926)

Elie Kanaan (Lebanese, b. 1926)
Mediterranean Sea,
signed 'E.S.KANAAN' (lower left); signed 'E.S.KANAAN'(on the reverse)
oil on canvas
51 1/8 x 63¾in. (130 x 162cm.)
Painted in 1981

Elie Kanaan's atmospheric brand of abstract painting is based on nature. His more recent work was inspired by the meditative qualities of the Lebanese mountains. Within his compositions he moves between the nebulous and the solid, his colours alternately emphasizing light and form. Kanaan's paintings often convey within a single canvas several contradictory emotions, but they remain essentially uplifting in mood.