Marwan (1934-2016) was one of the most important and influential artists in contemporary Syrian art and was particularly known for his figurative works. Born in Damascus, the artist studied Arabic literature at the University of Damascus. He moved to Berlin in the late 1950s and attended the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, where he also met the two artists Eugen Schönebeck and Georg Baselitz. He graduated from the Faculty of Painting in 1963. Through his contacts in the Berlin art scene, he had his first solo exhibition at Galerie Springer in 1967 and was represented by Galerie Lietzow in Berlin from 1971.
Marwan's art was influenced by German Expressionism and the artists and works of the Neue Wilde. At the same time, he maintained his Syrian identity by responding to Arab political disputes and human rights issues in his work, while also referencing Arabic poetry and imagery.
Marwan was known for his faces transformed into hilly landscapes - a motif that runs through his entire œuvre. Above all, the concept of the “face in the landscape”, a term coined by the Syrian poet Adonis, is an integral part of Marwan's work. By repeatedly exploring the motif of the head, it was important to him to “excavate” these places and “paint souls” with his pictures, as he repeatedly put it in conversations. In our work, viewers are also given the opportunity to explore landscapes with him and “excavate” the souls.
As part of the Syrian national movement and through his pan-Arabic visual language, Marwan's works open a conversational space between land, identity, poetry and history. VO
Oil on cardboard, mounted on canvas. 108 × 74 cm
(42 ½ × 29 ⅛ in.). Signed and dated twice with brush in black on the reverse: Marwan 87-95. [3267] Framed
Provenance
Private Collection, Bavaria (acquired at Galerie Brusberg, Berlin, thence by descent to the present owner)
Marwan (1934-2016) was one of the most important and influential artists in contemporary Syrian art and was particularly known for his figurative works. Born in Damascus, the artist studied Arabic literature at the University of Damascus. He moved to Berlin in the late 1950s and attended the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, where he also met the two artists Eugen Schönebeck and Georg Baselitz. He graduated from the Faculty of Painting in 1963. Through his contacts in the Berlin art scene, he had his first solo exhibition at Galerie Springer in 1967 and was represented by Galerie Lietzow in Berlin from 1971.
Marwan's art was influenced by German Expressionism and the artists and works of the Neue Wilde. At the same time, he maintained his Syrian identity by responding to Arab political disputes and human rights issues in his work, while also referencing Arabic poetry and imagery.
Marwan was known for his faces transformed into hilly landscapes - a motif that runs through his entire œuvre. Above all, the concept of the “face in the landscape”, a term coined by the Syrian poet Adonis, is an integral part of Marwan's work. By repeatedly exploring the motif of the head, it was important to him to “excavate” these places and “paint souls” with his pictures, as he repeatedly put it in conversations. In our work, viewers are also given the opportunity to explore landscapes with him and “excavate” the souls.
As part of the Syrian national movement and through his pan-Arabic visual language, Marwan's works open a conversational space between land, identity, poetry and history. VO
