Lot 15: Still Life

LEILA NSEIR (SYRIAN, B. 1941)
Still Life
signed 'L_NSEIR' and signed again in Arabic (lower left), signed again in Arabic (centre right)
oil on canvas
56½ x 126in. (143.5 x 320cm.)
Painted circa 1960s

The subject of this painting, blown glass, pottery jars and ceramics, is a tribute to Syrian artisans. Historically, these objects were created by poor Syrian craftsmen working in beautiful colours. The harmonized rendering of these, almost as arabesques, reflects the spirit and authenticity of the Middle East.

Leila Nseir's early paintings were realist in style, and she moved later through expressionism to surrealism. Her mature art became more abstracted, with vibrant interlocking forms. Also influenced by frescos, she moved into printing techniques and using a number of media in one painting (oil, wax crayons, pastel, etc) in an attempt to give deeper visual expression.