Damascus-SANA
A master of Syrian plastic art that has an artistic imprint in the local identity through the skillful capture of the color climate and environmental privacy. The late great Nasir Shura directed that climate towards a form of abstraction or reductionist realism so that this style is associated with his name and thanks to him the impressionist trend continued to attend in the 1950s and beyond.
Celebrating Nasir Shura, according to the plastic critic Saad Al-Qasim, is a celebration of his generation, whether we describe it as the generation of modernity or the second generation of pioneers. This generation was characterized by depth of knowledge and deep dialogues in gatherings whose main feature is culture and creativity. He adhered to the concepts of art in his time, so he created an original art that does not fall within itself and does not dissolve in others.
On the occasion of the celebration of the third season of the days of Syrian plastic art, the centenary of the birth of the artist Naseer Shura, a book was published for the critic Al-Qasim, “Centennial Shura 1920-2020” about the Syrian General Book Authority, during which he explained that the late great is one of the most important names in the Syrian plastic life and followed the path of Michel Karsha Pioneer of the impressionist trend in Syrian plastic art to be a pioneer in a new style and direction.
The book was divided into two parts, the first talking about Shura’s childhood, his artistic beginnings, his contribution to artistic gatherings since the early thirties of the last century, and his studies in Egypt, and then he opened his own studio in 1948, receiving young talents as a teacher and cheerleader, as well as hosting Syrian and foreign artists, as it was like a cultural center he meets Artists, writers, musicians, philosophers and poets.
He also talks about his participation in exhibitions, especially the annual exhibition, for which he won six prizes during the eight sessions of the exhibition, in which the awards system was adopted. It retains its impressionist spirit, its origins, its roots and its transformations, which made its name associated with it and made it a Syrian symbol for it.
The second section of the book, titled (With the Eyes of Writers, Critics, and Artists), included texts about the Shura experience since its oldest, a newspaper article by Sedky Ismail published in 1950, passing through the writings of artistic and intellectual figures from Salim Adel Abdel Haq, Adonis, Afif Bahnasy, Nazir Nabaa, Salah El Din Mohamed, Mahmoud Hammad and Elias Zayat Tariq Al-Sharif, Ghazi Al-Khalidi, Abdel Aziz Aloun, Farouk Youssef, Boutros Al-Maari, and the latter talked about the artistic and personal friendship that brought together Shura and Mahmoud Hammad.
In the book, there is an appendix to the Shura paintings, which includes about 90 paintings according to their historical sequence, which provides an idea of the transformations of his style, as well as a few paintings in which Mahmoud Hammad and Michel Karshah, and a painting by Mahmoud Hammad depicting a Shura studio, and a second by Abdel Aziz Nashawati, who gathers his wife and Shura’s wife.
The 136-page book also includes historical and documentary photographs, directed by Abdul Aziz Muhammad and supervised by Anas Al-Hassan.
Rasha Mahfoud