Ibrahim Ghannam
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim Hassan Kheite better known by the artistic name, Ibrahim Ghannam, was an artist considered to be one of the founders of the Palestinian plastic art movement. His paintings focused on describing the daily life of the Palestinian people
in his country before the Nakba. He painted scenes of village life in a naïve
style using bright colours.
Ghannam contracted Gout
as a child and used a wheelchair throughout his life. His reputation as a professional illustrator emerged from "tal el za3tar
" camp near the Lebanese capital Beirut
.
He was a founding member of the General Union of Palestinian artists foundation, and the General Federation of Arab Artists foundation.
During the invasion of Lebanon
in 1982, the Israeli army seized some of his paintings from one of the exhibits of Beirut
. Other paintings of his were also lost in Kuwait
during the Iraqi invasion.
He is the subject of Adnan Mdanat's 1977 documentary film Palestinian Visions.
Ghannam said in Interview:
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
in his country before the Nakba. He painted scenes of village life in a naïve
Naïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...
style using bright colours.
Ghannam contracted Gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
as a child and used a wheelchair throughout his life. His reputation as a professional illustrator emerged from "tal el za3tar
Tel al-Zaatar Massacre
The Tel al-Zaatar massacre took place during the Lebanese Civil War on August 12, 1976. Tel al-Zaatar was a UNRWA administered Palestinian Refugee camp housing approximately 50,000-60,000 refugees in northeast Beirut.-Background:...
" camp near the Lebanese capital Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
He was a founding member of the General Union of Palestinian artists foundation, and the General Federation of Arab Artists foundation.
During the invasion of Lebanon
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
in 1982, the Israeli army seized some of his paintings from one of the exhibits of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Other paintings of his were also lost in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
during the Iraqi invasion.
He is the subject of Adnan Mdanat's 1977 documentary film Palestinian Visions.
Ghannam said in Interview:
“I feel that my life stopped at the age of 17, because that is how old I was when I left, and I only live when I dream of those days.”
Sources
- Palestine Foundation for Culture (in Arabic)
See also
- Palestinian artPalestinian artPalestinian art is a term used to refer to paintings, posters, installation art and other visual media produced by Palestinian artists.While the term has also been used to refer to ancient art produced in the geographical region of Palestine, in its modern usage it generally refers to work of...