Lot 23: The Travelling of the Tree

Ali Mukawwas (Syrian, b. 1955)
The Travelling of the Tree
signed in Arabic and dated '2002' (lower right)
oil and charcoal on canvas
56 x 49 5/8in. (142 x 126cm.)
Painted in 2002

In the present series Ali Mukawwas depicts oak trees with large gatherings beneath them. These people await their destiny, either to be saved, or instead to be washed away in another Great Flood. The oak tree, which far outlives the humans beneath it, is for Mukawwas a symbol of eternity .

Most of the paintings by Mukawwas from this series have very little colour, depending mainly on the contrast of black and white. However, in the present lot the clamour of the industrial world disturbs his magical realm, both with the strong colour of the red bus and with the transformation of his tree into houses with windows.