Louay Kayyali (Syria, 1934-1978) The Fisherman Preparing His Net oil on masonite, framed signed 'Louay Kayyali' and dated '1973' in Arabic (lower left), executed in 1973 95 x 75cm (37 3/8 x 29 1/2in). Footnotes: 'Let me find luck to pick the fish that swim under the waters. Let me find the luck to know the dividing line between the certainty of love and heresy. Give me the chance to avoid this storm... Give me the chance to be the one to walk on water' - Nizar Qabbani Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owners father, Mr Saad Attar Published: The Artists Website Note: The present work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artists family, signed by Dr Saad Taha Kayali and Souraya Zureick Kayali Louay Kayyali is remembered as one of the most sought-after Arab artists of the Modernist era. We are delighted to be presenting an exquisite example of the artists tender and ennobling depictions of Syrian daily life. Louai Kayyali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934. Kayyali received an art scholarship in 1956 to study at Rome's Academy of Fine Arts. He participated in numerous exhibitions and fairs during his time in Italy, including representing Syria along with Fateh Al Moudarres at the 1960 Venice Biennale. In 1961, Kayyali returned to Syria where he took up a professorship at the Damascus Higher Institute of Fine Arts. After the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War with Israel in 1967, Kayyali abandoned painting due to depression. In the early 1970s, he returned to painting and began producing numerous paintings depicting everyday people from the streets of Syria's such as newspaper sellers, shoe-shiners, and the characters depicted in the present works. 'The Fisherman Preparing his Net' is a prime example of Kayyali's mature period in which key characters from Syrian daily life come to the forefront. In this body of work, Kayyali highlights the protagonist's struggle and vividly captures how political upheaval affected the Syrian population's demeanour, shaping a culture and society that led to poverty and societal marginalization. Kayyali conveys a mixture of empathetic admiration and sad affection for his poor but noble subject matters. These mesmerizing portraits dispense with superfluous detail and articulate the softness and vulnerability of Kayyali's subjects. Melancholy, resignation and solitude best characterise much of Kayyali's work after the 1967 war and the sentiments of political failure in Syria and the Arab world in general. His paintings externalized the pressing humanitarian and political issues that surrounded him. Kayyali's powerful depictions of ordinary people are characterized by strong fluid lines that define the figures and the absence of extraneous detail. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com