Nesma Shubber
In Suad Al-Attar, Nesma Shubber chronicles the life and art of her grandmother, the internationally recognized Iraqi artist, Suad Al-Attar.
Born in Baghdad in 1942, Suad knew she wanted to be an artist from a very early age. She began painting and exhibiting her work, becoming the first female artist to have a solo exhibition in Iraq in the 1960s. She was a prolific artist and has garnered a strong following throughout the Arab world. When the political situation in Iraq became increasingly intolerable, she relocated to England with her family in 1976. She has lived and worked in London ever since.
The book includes over 130 images of Attar’s paintings and drawings. These chart the evolution of her work. Her oeuvre is replete with mythological creatures, figures from the history of ancient Mesopotamia, and plush gardens bursting with flora. The influence of various artists, including Gustav Klimt, Paul Cezanne, Henri Rousseau, and Paul Gauguin, among others, can be traced in her art. She went through a period in which her work was greatly impacted by the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent years. Her canvases at that time depict barely discernible domed buildings in Baghdad going up in flames in swathes of reds and yellows; women’s faces in the throes of fear and distress; dismembered limbs; and a very powerful drawing of Abu Ghraib.
Also included in the book are photos of Al-Attar as a glamorous young woman and later photos of her in her London studio. She has exhibited in London and all over the Arab world, receiving awards for her work.
A thread of longing for her homeland permeates much of Al-Attar’s oeuvre. By painting images taken from Iraq’s mythology, from Assyrian reliefs and Sumerian sculptures, and by filling her canvases with palm trees and hoopoe birds, it is as though she is trying to encapsulate an idyllic vision of the Iraq of the past. Her colorful canvases bursting with flowers and palm trees and with stylized figures in gold and green transport the viewer to a magical time and place. The stunning images attest to the wide range and intricate detail of her work, making this volume a visual feast for the eyes.
Highly recommended.