Lot 65: Mustafa Fathi (Syrian, b. 1942)

Mustafa Fathi (Syrian, b. 1942)
Untitled
signed and dated in Arabic (upper left)
natural pigments and ink on canvas
63¼ x 57¼in (161 x 145.5cm.)
Painted in 2000

Mustafa Fathi's works are produced using stamps, similar to those used in Bedouin tribal societies in Syria. In his search for authenticity, the artist developed a fascination in these, which he perceived as tools of creation. Fathi says: "I derive my inspiration from shapes. Shape has taken a long journey until it took its final configuration. Tools are a form of human thought. They are the trace of the human being. They are human being themselves. I like a tool and it always captures my attention, not because it is a scene, but because it is a living thought. Paintings, on the other hand, are an accumulation of the images and shapes of tools and stones in my head." As for the relationship between shapes and space he said: "I like shapes to be relaxed." when asked why all his hanging paintings are longitudinal, he says "perhaps, in the beginning this had to do with a higher possibility of displaying them, because transversal paintings take a wider area of the wall. Later, I realized that I liked longitudinal shapes more, may be because they resemble a written page. But my painting could be longitudinal or transversal, because it is studied from four sides."