Lot 165: - Suleiman Mansour , Palestinian B. 1947 I Ismael clay on wood, in four parts

signed and dated 1997 on the reverse clay on wood, in four parts

measurements note each: 200 by 80cm.; 78 3/4 by 31 1/2 in. overall: 200 by 320cm.; 78 3/4 by 126in.

Dr. Judith Schwartz, Confrontational Ceramic, London, 2008, pp. 50-51, illustration of another example in colourExhibition Catalogue, Jerusalem, Dr. Tina Sherwel, Al Wasiti Art Centre, Ten Years in Mud, 2000, p. 18, illustration of another example in colourExhibition Catalogue, Norway, Eva Furseth, Trondheim Muncipality, Hakon Gulvag and Sliman Mansour: Situations, 2008, p. 4, illustration of another example in colourFaten Nastas Mitwasi/Michael Imhof Verlag, Sliman Mansour, Germany, 2008, p. 77, illustrated of another example in colourExhibition Catalogue, Houston, Texas, Station Museum, Made in Palestine, 2003, pp. 34-35, illustration of another example in colour

I Ismael by Suleiman Mansour, a leading Palestinian artist, is a dramatic artwork both in terms of its content and visual impact. Consisting of four male clay figures sculpted on wood panels it is an attestation to the artist's struggle against occupation and oppression. Coming from a post Nakba generation, and having witnessed the eradication of Palestinian history and geography, Mansour used his art to preserve the memory of an appropriated land and culture. The work, which won the "Nile Award' at the 1998 Cairo Biennale and the Palestinian Prize for visual arts in 1998, conveys optimism and hope, yet at the same time portrays ruins, destruction, and mortality. The title I Ismael, comes from the biblical story Ismael. According to the story, God assured Abraham, the father of Ismael, that his son would have a future of national greatness. The son and his mother Hagar were later expelled to the dessert and were about to die from thirst, when God appeared again and showed them a well. Ismael later rose to national greatness as promised by fathering twelve chiefs, consequently becoming the "father" of the Arab tribes. The metaphoric use of the name to convey a message of hope, reminding viewers that suffering and victimisation will not prevail and a better future is attainable. As in most of his work, Mansour conveys a strong personal and political attachment to the land which symbolizes the lost homeland and the affirmation of the right of return. The use of clay and earth by Mansour in this particular piece expresses a promise of the rebirth of Palestine, which will come from the earth itself. This is a theme that reoccurs in much of his work. However, the messages of optimism and hope that we first perceive turn out to be oblique, as a deeper investigation into the artwork shows that there is a certain degree of pessimism and distress. These reflect the artist's mood and that of a nation in general. The mud mixture on the figures appears dry and cracked, reminding us of dispersion, pain and death. According to Mansour, "the cracks represent the destruction and ruin the Palestinians suffer from." In addition, in uniting the earth with the body, the painful reality of human mortality comes to the fore. According to Mansour, "I cover my objects with layers of mud, like masks that separate them from reality, until they lose their dominant presence and are overwhelmed by earth and its dry, cracked texture which becomes the central and prevailing image. They become emblems of decay ...awaiting their ultimate return to earth." Suleiman Mansour in Suleiman Mansour: Ten Years in Mud, exh. Cat., al Wasiti Art Centre (2000), p. 38. The duality in meaning and the use of metaphors are strong characteristics of Mansour's work. These features are apparent in his most famous masterpiece on the theme of exile Camel of Hardship (1973). The oil painting, Camel of Hardship, depicts an old porter carrying on his back an eye shaped image of Jerusalem. The eye in Palestinian culture symbolizes hope and comfort, thus in this painting Jerusalem is portrayed concurrently as a burden for all Palestinians in exile and at the same time a source for hope. I Ismael's power lies in its ability to narrate the history of a nation and of its humanity in a subliminal way.