Lot 23: MOUSTAFA FARROUKH (LEBANESE, 1901-1957) Tabkhit Al-Bahss (The Cooking of St

MOUSTAFA FARROUKH (LEBANESE, 1901-1957) Tabkhit Al-Bahss (The Cooking of Stones) signed in Arabic, signed and dated ‘M.Farroukh 1955’(lower right) oil on canvas 25 x 31¿in. (63.5 x 79.2 cm.) Painted in 1955

PROVENANCE: Salah Lababidi, Beirut (artist commission). Thence by descent to the present owner. Moustafa Farroukh is considered a pivotal player in the development of a visual lexicon in Lebanese Modern art. Having studied at the Royal College of Fine Arts in Rome, graduating in 1927, he later moved to Paris, studying under a number of prominent French Painters. Returning to Lebanon in 1932, he began teaching whilst simultaneously producing breath-taking landscapes, portraits and still-life, which were clearly and authentically deeply rooted in their natural surroundings. As testament to his deep-rooted infuence and contribution to the establishment of a Lebanese Modern visual lexicon, Farroukh received the frst prize of the President of the Republic, the Lebanese order of Merit, and the Order of the Cedar in 1955, an accomplishment not aforded to many. A magical and dazzling composition, Tabkhit Al-Bahss (‘The Cooking of Stones’) reveals insight into the accomplished technique that Farroukh became so cherished for. Ofering a rare opportunity to acquire a work by one of the most accomplished founding fathers of Modern art in Lebanon, it was commissioned in 1955 by the Islamic Art Society just two years before Farroukh’s death. The artist’s fne brushstrokes and captivating use of light within his mise-en-scène intends to highlight a poignant and well documented legend of the same title. Believed to have taken place during the reign of Omar bin Al Khatab, the second Khalifa of Islam, the tale tells of an impoverished mother who cooks stones on a fre in the hope that her hungry children drift slowly to sleep, thinking that there will be a hot meal ready for them when they wake up. Looking on in disguise, the Khalifa and his Grand Wazir, heartbroken by the devastating scene, reveal themselves to ofer a bountiful display of food that is cooked and served to this desolate family. In Farroukh’s composition, he captures the moment that the Khalifa is deep in the midst of preparing the meal; kneeling, he blows gently on the fre whilst the family, not believing their luck, look on. Through his use of bold and dark oils, the artist manages to conjure a scene of magical chemistry, a sense of respect for compassion and helping of those less fortunate. Framed by the darkness to evoke a sense of night-time and despair, his bold use of oranges and yellows of the fame jump out of the canvas, as if real.