Mustafa Al-Hallaj
Encyclopedia
Mustafa al-Hallaj was born in Salama (town)
in the Jaffa
region of British Mandate Palestine.
Al-Hallaj was a pioneer in the Arab art world, known as an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts". His work was often devoted to his lost homeland, Palestine
, and he is also said to have tried to turn Palestine into the form and content of his artistic school.
, al-Hallaj and his family ended up in Damascus
where he completed his higher studies in 1964. He studied Sculpture at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo
and attended the Luxor Atelier for Postgraduate Studies. His art included painting
s, graphics, murals, illustrations, cover designs and etching
s, with specializations in graphic art and sculpture. He lived in Beirut
, Lebanon
and Damascus, Syria
.
Hallaj contributed to defining the fan al-muqawama (or, "the art of resistance"). He lost 25,000 of his prints in Israeli attacks on Beirut
during the 1982 Lebanon war
but managed to save the wood and masonry cuts he used to make them.
Hallaj was a founding member of the trade union committee of the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Journalists, and a member of the Managing Committee of the General Union of Palestinian Abstract Artists in Syria.
He helped lay the foundation for the establishment of an art gallery in Damascus which at its opening in 1987 was dedicated to the memory of Naji al-Ali
Damascus.
ite legends, folk tales, and Palestinian cultural icons, and is a sequence of pictorial narratives which had reached 114 meters at the time of his death, summarizing the history of the Palestinian people from 11 th Century BC to the present." Entitled Improvisations of Life, this work is 114 meters long. It portrays visual memories and recollections, and a record of civilization dating back 10000 years - a mix of myth and fertility with the intifada of the Palestinians.
Self-portrait as Man, God, the Devil is a Masonite-cut print by al-Hallaj 37 feet (11.3 m) wide and 9 feet (2.7 m) high in which he represents himself with a long, white beard, a peacock pattern of white hair and enlarged, and almond-shaped eyes staring in awe at the events depicted.
Tex Kerschen calls it
Al-Hallaj successfully rescued this work from an electrical fire in his home studio, but died after running in to save other works. He was buried in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus.
Al-Hallaj has won several local and international awards and prizes.
Salama (town)
Salama was a Palestinian Arab village, located five kilometers east of Jaffa, that was depopulated in the lead up the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The town was named for Salama Abu Hashim, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
in the Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
region of British Mandate Palestine.
Al-Hallaj was a pioneer in the Arab art world, known as an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts". His work was often devoted to his lost homeland, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, and he is also said to have tried to turn Palestine into the form and content of his artistic school.
Biography
After the 1948 war1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, al-Hallaj and his family ended up in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
where he completed his higher studies in 1964. He studied Sculpture at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and attended the Luxor Atelier for Postgraduate Studies. His art included painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, graphics, murals, illustrations, cover designs and etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
s, with specializations in graphic art and sculpture. He lived in 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...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Damascus, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Hallaj contributed to defining the fan al-muqawama (or, "the art of resistance"). He lost 25,000 of his prints in Israeli attacks on 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...
during the 1982 Lebanon war
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...
but managed to save the wood and masonry cuts he used to make them.
Hallaj was a founding member of the trade union committee of the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Journalists, and a member of the Managing Committee of the General Union of Palestinian Abstract Artists in Syria.
He helped lay the foundation for the establishment of an art gallery in Damascus which at its opening in 1987 was dedicated to the memory of Naji al-Ali
Naji al-Ali
Naji Salim al-Ali was a Palestinian cartoonist, noted for the political criticism of Israel in his works.He drew over 40,000 cartoons, which often reflected Palestinian and Arab public opinion and were sharply critical commentaries on Palestinian and Arab politics and political leaders...
Damascus.
Works
Hallaj's work is "inspired by ancient CanaanCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite legends, folk tales, and Palestinian cultural icons, and is a sequence of pictorial narratives which had reached 114 meters at the time of his death, summarizing the history of the Palestinian people from 11 th Century BC to the present." Entitled Improvisations of Life, this work is 114 meters long. It portrays visual memories and recollections, and a record of civilization dating back 10000 years - a mix of myth and fertility with the intifada of the Palestinians.
Self-portrait as Man, God, the Devil is a Masonite-cut print by al-Hallaj 37 feet (11.3 m) wide and 9 feet (2.7 m) high in which he represents himself with a long, white beard, a peacock pattern of white hair and enlarged, and almond-shaped eyes staring in awe at the events depicted.
Tex Kerschen calls it
"... a master work, a continuum of fantastic and folkloric imagery that spans ancient and modern times. He juxtaposes a vast and often idiosyncratic menagerie of symbols — bulls, camel men, birds, lizard-like creatures and fish, with fantastic landscapes and episodes of ancient and modern PalestinianPalestinian peopleThe 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...
life ... Scenes from Al NakbaNakba DayNakba Day is generally commemorated on May 15, the day after the Gregorian calendar date for Israeli independence day...
and the universal history of human oppression, such as mass hangings and forced marches, spill into representations that draw from his extensive erudition and his own syncretic imagination."a
Al-Hallaj successfully rescued this work from an electrical fire in his home studio, but died after running in to save other works. He was buried in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus.
Al-Hallaj has won several local and international awards and prizes.