Lot 6: * MOUSTAFA FARROUKH (Lebanon, 1901-1957) View of Zaarour

Moustafa Farroukh (Lebanon, 1901-1957)
View of Zaarour
oil on canvas, framed
executed in 1947
42 x 61cm (16 9/16 x 24in).
FOOTNOTES
Moustafa Farroukh's art is inextricably linked to the landscape and scenery of his native Lebanon. As an artist who studied in the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, and an academic whose intellectual contribution to the development of Lebanese art was profound, Farroukh's paintings act as a synthesis of traditional Lebanese subject matter and a distinctly European composition.

He was formally trained in Rome and graduated in 1927 from Rome's Royal College of Fine Arts. He proceeded to Paris and continued further studies under the guidance of Paul Émile Chabas, the president of the Society of French Artists and many other French artists.

Over his prosperous career, he exhibited in venues from Paris, Venice, New York and Beirut. In his Studio in Beirut, he established a permanent exhibition of his artwork in 1932.

Farroukh's stylistic influence clearly hark to the naturalistic and early impressionist movements of the nineteenth century, yet his landscapes are ultimately defined by their devotion to the Lebanese sensibility. His warm rural depictions and use of gentle, unimposing scenery depict a calm and charming Lebanon. The use of fluid and elegant cloudscapes lend a sense of character and life to his scenes.

Farroukh's role as an academic and intellectual contributor to the artistic fields in Lebanon is also highly noteworthy. To spread the knowledge of Fine Arts in Lebanon he started teaching at the American University of Beirut, and lectured at the Cenacle Libanais. As a result of his achievements Farroukh received First Prize of the President of the Republic for the year 1955, the Lebanese Order of Merit, and the Order of the Cedar.