Abstract
In Damascus, a group of artists created paintings of startling intensity, rich in texture and bold to the eye, suffused with light and reflecting alternate realities: the resilience of a highly cultured people with a civilization of seven thousand years and a history of survival and reinvention. While the machines of war produced death, amid the blood and terror, the devastation and savagery, these artists produced images of hope and beauty that were brought together in an exhibition held in Athens and other parts of Greece. The paintings that accompany Ghanem’s article, “Stories Untold: Art from Syria,” also the name of the exhibition, allow readers to experience these artists’ works. Their paintings reflect “the life-loving spirit of Syria, reminding us of the legendary phoenix that reinvents and invigorates itself from its ashes.” The images, Ghanem tells us, take us to “mystical realms, where a child symbolizes life, joy and hope for the future and a woman symbolizes home, love, and life-giving force, and where beauty is strength, vigor, and optimism. These eternal symbols bring us together in harmony and peace regardless of our differences to complete the circle of love around us all.”
Recommended Citation
Ghanem, Manas
(2019)
"Stories Untold: Art from Syria,"
New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 31:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol31/iss1/6