Portrait of a woman with an intense gaze — Louay Kayyali, *Portrait of Thouraya El Metwally*, oil on canvas (?)

Syrian artist’s Louay Kayyali’s portraits filled me with so much emotion that I had no space - or need - to speak.

Perhaps it’s the simplicity of colour and shape that help lend his works such force.

Perhaps it’s because there is a special power in the gaze of working class men and women on the margins of society.

Or perhaps it’s because Kayyali was able to capture the human condition so precisely at a moment in time - just as he was able to capture an altogether different feeling of the beauty of the landscapes he painted.

See for yourself.

Syrian portrait art depicting a street beggar. Portraits of people on the margins of society. — Louay Kayyali, *The Resting Beggar*, oil on masonite, 1974

Painting of a Syrian town rendered in a flowing and colourful style. — Louay Kayyali, *Maloula* (a town in Syria), oil on wood, 1972

Considered one of Syria’s most influential artists, Louay Kayyali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934 and studied fine arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome on a scholarship from the Ministry of Education. There, he received multiple awards and founded a series of art fairs at La Fonta Nella Hall, Rome, starting in 1959.

After graduating in 1961, with his work highly praised, he returned to Syria where he taught for two years at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University before things took a darker turn.

Portrait of a Woman in a Red Dress sitting on a yellow chair against a green background — Louay Kayyali, *Woman in Red Dress*, oil on canvas, 1972

Portrait of a boy on a chair, his back towards us. Conveys feeling even when the face is covered. — Louay Kayyali, *Boy Sitting on a Chair,* oil on canvas, 1976

In the late 1960’s, at a time of political tensions in the Arab region and the fallout of the Six-Day War, Kayyali began to suffer from depression which was reflected in a series of dark and superbly powerful charcoal works which attracted criticism from other artists.

Charcoal drawing of a man in shock. Syrian art. — Louay Kayyali, *For the Cause*, charcoal, 1967

Despite receiving medical attention, he suffered bouts of severe depression for the rest of his life, with periods when he was unable to paint and withdrew from the world.

Painting of Trees that seem ethereal, as if floating. Landscapes in Syrian art. — Louay Kayyali, *Trees*, oil on canvas, 1975

In 1977, Kayyali travelled to Rome with the hope of rekindling a golden period of his life and reviving his interest in painting. He returned to Aleppo just a few months later.

Becoming addicted to pain killers and tranquilisers, Kayyali died in 1978 after burning in his bed - a fire thought to be caused by an unextinguished cigarette. He was only 44.

Self Portrait of Syrian artist, Louay Kayyali — Kayyali’s art is now in the collections of public institutions such as Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; National Museum of Aleppo; National Museum of Damascus; the Jalanbo Collection, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah and the British Museum.
IMAGE: Louay Kayyali, *Self Portrait*, Damascus National Museum

Power in Expression