Lot 80: Faraj Abou (Iraq, born 1921) The Harvest Poster,

The Harvest Poster, tempera on paper, signed and dated 1963 in Arabic lower left, inscribed with the artist's name and title in Arabic on a label on the backboard, framed, 32.5 x 43.4cm (12 13/16 x 17 1/16in).

Provenance:
Private UK collection; acquired in Baghdad in the 1960s and thence by descent.

Faraj Abou was a member of the 'Baghdad Group of Modern Art' established in 1951 by the pioneering Iraqi artist Jewad Selim. An excerpt from their proclamation, the first to be made by an Iraqi artistic group reads; 'The new generation of artists finds the beginning of a guiding light in the early legacy of their forefathers.' For further discussion on the Baghdad Group see Wijdan Ali (ed.) Contemporary Art from the Islamic World, Jordan, 1989, p.160-162

Abou's striking depiction of women harvesting corn in the fields is executed with the Baghdad Group's ideals very much in mind. The wide almond shaped eyes of the women echo those seen in Assyrian statuary and the positioning of the figures one behind the other is suggestive of the influence of relief carvings on the artist.

The removal of this scene from it's traditional setting and placement on a block-colour background lends the work a very graphic feeling, forcing the viewer to focuses less on the individuals and more on the technical and compositional aspects of the piece.