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71-580: One Dimension is one of a number of art groups that formed in 20th-century Iraq. During the first world war, a small group of European officers and artists settled in Iraq, exposing young artists to Western art traditions and techniques. While local artists and middle classes developed an appreciation for European art, the arts community searched for ways of synthesising indigenous art with international trends. In effect, these groups were seeking to forge an Arabic art aesthetic and to use art to help their nations reassert

142-709: A "revival" or "renaissance." Nahda became an important cultural movement which influenced all art forms - architecture, literature, poetry and the visual arts. At the turn of the 20th century, a small group of Iraqis were sent to Istanbul for military training, where painting and drawing was included as part of the curriculum. This group, which became known as the Ottoman artists, included Abdul Qadir Al Rassam (1882–1952); Mohammed Salim Moussali (1886-?); Hassan Sami, Asim Hafidh (1886–1978); Mohammed Saleh Zaki (1888–1974) and Hajji Mohammed Salim (1883–1941). were exposed to European painting techniques. Their style of painting

213-480: A broader level they also worked towards an aesthetic that transcended national boundaries and represented a broader affiliation with an Arab identity. Al Said and his group successfully bridged the gap between modernity and heritage. In so doing, they "charted a new Arabo-Islamic art aesthetic, and thus initiated a possible alternative for art valuating for local and regional art other than those allowed through an exclusionary Western canon of art history." In focusing on

284-498: A complete picture of Iraqi art have been compounded by the fact that many 20th-century artists, art historians and philosophers have been forced into exile, where they are isolated from their heritage and current practices. In addition, much of Iraq's art heritage has been looted or destroyed during periods of revolution, war and political unrest. During the early Islamic period, writing was transformed into an "iconophoric message...a carrier of meaning independent of its form [and] into

355-525: A distinct preference for abstract works, which allowed them to evade censorship. Baghdad is now dotted with monuments, including Al-Shaheed Monument and The Monument to the Unknown Soldier and the Victory Arch , along with many smaller statues, fountains and sculptures; all constructed in the second half of the 20th century, and showing increasing levels of abstraction over time. A notable feature of

426-402: A few years of their formation. Each of these groups developed different ideas about how to combine heritage and modernity and developed a different vision for a national art aesthetic. Although there were tensions in the different visions of these groups, collectively, they actively searched for new national vision which would enable the country to develop internally, as well as take its place on

497-423: A nationalist sentiment developed. Artists consciously sought out ways to combine Western art techniques with traditional art and local subject matter. In Iraq, 20th century artists were at the forefront of developing a national style, and provided a model for other Arab nations who wanted to forge their own national identities. Poetry and verse remains a major art form in modern Iraq and Iraqi poets were inspired by

568-508: A number of world-class painters and sculptors including Ismail Fatah Al Turk (1934–2008), Khalid Al-Jadir (1924–1990), and Mohammed Ghani Hikmat . Faeq Hassan (1914–1992), considered the founder of modern plastic art in Iraq, was among several Iraqi artists who were selected to study art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts before the Second World War . Hassan and the art group he founded formed

639-534: A photographer named Tartaran, set up a studio at the entrance to the Mosul Elementary School. From there, local school children could observe the photographer at work. The influential Mosul photographer, Murad al-Daghistani , who specialised in capturing the life and work of every-day people in Mosul, may have developed his passion for photography after watching Tartaran developing photographs in his dark-room. By

710-466: A photographic portrait of his wife, thereby popularising photographic portraiture. In the years following the First World War, a number of photographers arrived in Iraq. Some of these were displaced Armenians, who had prior experience working with precision equipment, including cameras. These early photographers were mostly concerned with photographing military scenes and personnel. Around this time,

781-422: A profound influence on pan-Arab art generally. Iraq's art has a deep heritage that extends back in time to ancient Mesopotamian art . Iraq has one of the longest written traditions in the world. Maqam traditions in music and calligraphy have survived into the modern day. However, the continuity of Iraq's arts culture has been subject to the vicissitudes of invading armies for centuries. The Mongol invasion of

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852-753: A seminal book on Iraqi architecture, called this approach international regionalism . He explains: "From the very outset of my practice, I thought it imperative that, sooner or later, Iraq create for itself an architecture regional in character yet simultaneously modern, part of the current international avant-garde style." Architects sought an architectural language that would remind visitors of ancient Iraqi architectural history. To that end, architects used Iraqi motifs in their designs and incorporated traditional design practices, such as temperature control, natural ventilation, courtyards, screen walls and reflected light within their work. Architects also became designers who designed furniture and lighting with reference to

923-518: A sense of national identity. Between the 1930s and the early 1970s, more than six different art groups were formed: The Pioneers formed in the 1930s; The Avantgarde Group formed in 1950; The Baghdad Modern Art Group formed in 1951; The Impressionists formed in 1953; The Corners Group founded in 1961; The Innovationists founded in 1963; The New Vision founded in 1968 and One Dimension founded in 1971. Some of these groups endured for decades, while others were short-lived and abandoned within

994-710: A subject worthy of the most elaborate ornamentation." Another development during this period was the use of repeating patterns or motifs on scrolls and wall-reliefs. Inherited from the Muslims, this highly stylised system of ornamentation was subsequently given the label of arabesque . The Abbasid Dynasty developed in the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 945, primarily in its heartland of Mesopotamia . The Abbasids were influenced mainly by Mesopotamian architectural traditions and later influenced neighbouring styles such as Persian as well as Central Asian styles. Between

1065-812: A world stage. Of these art groups, the Baghdad Modern Art Group and the One Dimension Group are the most frequently cited. The One Dimension Group was established formally in 1971 by the prominent Baghdadi artist and intellectual, Shakir Hassan Al Said, when he published a manifesto for the group. Al Said had previously been a founding member of the Baghdad Group for Modern Art (Jama'at Baghdad lil-Fann al-Hadith) together with Jawad Saleem (1919-1961) and Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (1919-1994), but he along with several high profile artists, had withdrawn from that group when it lost its sense of direction, following

1136-800: Is called the “Baghdad school” of Ottoman miniature painting. Iraqi experienced a cultural shift between the years 1400 and 1600 CE, which is also reflected in its arts. In the 16th century, political rule in Iraq transitioned from the Turco-Mongol dynasties to the Ottoman Empire. In its past Iraq had been a centre of illuminated manuscripts but this art form experienced a general decline during this period. Statuary, wall paintings and jewellery from ancient sites in Iraq Selected artwork and handcrafts from post-Islamic structures and sites in Iraq Until

1207-469: Is considered one of the most influential Arab poets because he was the first to develop the free form style of poetry, and therefore a prime mover in the development of modernist poetry. Contemporary Iraqi poetry is considerably freer than traditional verse, and is imbued with social and political awareness. Scholars point out that very little is known about photography in Iraq. Iraq was relatively slow to adopt photography as an industry and art form, due to

1278-599: Is seen as the precursor to the Hurufiyya movement . Also, Umar was the first woman to receive a scholarship from the Iraqi government to study in Europe. Today her grandson Dara Kittani manages her Estate Collection. To see more about Madiha Umar go to her official website www.madihaumar.com Madiha Umar was born in Aleppo , Ottoman Empire , now Syria. Her father was Circassian and her mother

1349-685: The Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad , becoming head of department before leaving in 1942. She became a naturalised Iraqi. In 1939 she married Yasin Umar, a diplomat. In 1942 she moved to Washington, to accompany her husband, whose appointment as a member of the Iraqi Commission took him to the capital. In the US, she came across a book on Arabic calligraphy by Islamic scholar, Nabia Abbott and this inspired her to explore

1420-908: The Louvre , enabling them to reconnect with their cultural and intellectual heritage. Nevertheless, figurines, dating to the Neolithic period, found at the Palace of Tell Halaf and elsewhere, attest to Iraq's ancient artistic heritage. The Sassanids ruled the region that is now Iraq and Iran between the 3rd and 7th centuries. Sasanian art is best represented in metalwork, jewellery, architecture and wall-reliefs. Few paintings from this period have survived, but an understanding of jewellery ornamentation can be inferred from pictorial and sculptural representations. The art historian, Nada Shabout, points out that Iraqi art remains largely undocumented. The West has very little idea about Iraqi art. Problems associated with documenting

1491-528: The vernacular architecture and ancient monuments would be lost to the new development associated with the oil boom in the mid-century. They documented the region photographically and in 1995, published a book entitled, The Photographs of Kamil Chadirji: Social Life in the Middle East, 1920-1940, which recorded the buildings and lifestyles of the Iraqi people. The artist, Lorna Selim , who taught drawing at Baghdad University 's Department of Architecture, in

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1562-551: The 13th century devastated much traditional art and craft and is generally seen as a break in the tradition of Iraqi art. Although British archaeologists excavated a number of Iraqi sites, including Nimrud , Nineveh and Tell Halaf in Iraq in the 19th century, they sent many of the artefacts and statues to museums around the world. It was not until the early 20th century, when a small group of Iraqi artists were awarded scholarships to study abroad, that they became aware of ancient Sumerian art by visiting prestigious museums such as

1633-424: The 1940s, the number of photographic studios had proliferated, especially in Mosul, Basra and Baghdad. Important 20th-century Iraqi photographers include: Amri Salim, Hazem Bak, Murad Daghistani, Covadis Makarian, Sami Nasrawi, Ahmed Al-Qabbani, Jassem Al-Zubaidi, Fouad Shaker and Rashad Ghazi amongst others. The earliest photographers used the medium to record an Iraqi way of life that was in danger of being lost as

1704-525: The 1960s took her students to sketch traditional buildings along the Tigris and was especially interested in exposing young architects to Iraq's vernacular architecture , alley-ways and historical monuments. The work of Selim and Chadirji inspired a new generation of architects to consider including traditional design features - such as Iraqi practices of temperature control, natural ventilation, courtyards, screen walls and reflected light - in their designs. During

1775-454: The 20th century, Iraq had no tradition of easel painting. Traditional art, which included metal-work, rug-making and weaving, glass-blowing, ceramic tiles, calligraphy and wall murals were widely practised during the 19th century. Some traditional practices traced their origins back to the 9th-century Assyrians. However, in the 19th century, mural painters were generally seen as artisans rather than artists - although in traditional Islamic society,

1846-467: The 8th and 13th-centuries. During the Abbasid period, pottery achieved a high level of sophistication, calligraphy began to be used to decorate the surface of decorative objects and illuminated manuscripts, particularly Qur'anic texts became more complex and stylised. Iraq's first art school was established during this period, allowing artisans and crafts to flourish. At the height of the Abbasid period, in

1917-499: The Arabic letter as the central element of his work, al-Said soon was collaborating with Madiha Omar (who by then was living in the US) and Jamil Hamoudi , who both joined his group. The One Dimension Group was very significant to the so-called School of Calligraphic Art (also known as the Hurufiyya movement ) which comprised groups of artists that had emerged independently across North Africa and

1988-513: The Iraqi visual arts scene lies in artists' desires to link tradition and modernity in artworks. For a number of artists, the use of calligraphy or script has become an important part of integrating traditional artistic elements into an abstract artwork. In this way, the use of letters connects Iraqi artists with the broader hurufiyya movement (also known as the North African Lettrist Movement). The Iraqi artist, Madiha Omar , who

2059-400: The Middle East as part of a grand tour. In the first decades of the 20th century, the military also became an important source of business as officers sought photographs and photographic equipment. In the first decades of the 20th century, several factors contributed to the spread of photography. Firstly, British and European archaeologists began using photography to document ancient sites in

2130-502: The Middle East in the second half of the 20th century, with the common thread being that each group searched for ways to integrate tradition and modernity in a way that would contribute to a distinct national style. Although each of these groups developed locally, and went by different labels at the local level, collectively, these groups and their practitioners would become known as the School of Calligraphy (or Hurufiyya movement ). In Jordan,

2201-561: The advent of the Aq Quyunlu . Though noted patrons of the arts, the Aq Quyunlu mostly focus on areas outside Iraq. Between 1508 and 1534, Iraq came under the rule of the Safavid dynasty , which shifted the focus of arts to Iran. Baghdad experienced a revival in the arts during this period, and was also a centre for literary works. The poet Fuzûlî (ca. 1495–1556) wrote during the period. He wrote in

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2272-635: The attention of Middle-Eastern artists. She has been variously acclaimed as the pioneer of a movement or as the precursor to the movement that now carries the name, Huryfiyya art movement . She studied education at the George Washington University; then studied fine arts at the Corcoran School of Art , graduating in 1952 and received a MFA in 1959. In 1971 she joined the One Dimension Group founded by Shakir Hassan Al Said ;

2343-491: The city's literary, religious and artistic assets. The Mongols also killed between 200,000 and one million people, leaving the population totally demoralised and the city barely habitable. Iraqi art historians view this period as a time when the "chain of pictorial art" was broken. Between the years 1400-1411 Iraq was ruled by the Jalayirid dynasty . During this time, Iraqi art and culture flourished. Between 1411 and 1469, during

2414-456: The country 'modernised'. The photographer, Latif al-Ani , who is often described as the "father of Iraqi photography", was very much concerned with documenting cosmopolitan Iraqi life in the 1950s, as he saw it. By the mid-20th century, photography had become a popular medium for expressing social and political concerns. The artist, Jananne al-Ani has explored the dichotomy of Orient/ Occident in her work, and has also used photography to question

2485-413: The death of its founder, Jawad Saleem in 1961. The One Dimension manifesto gives voice to the group's commitment to both heritage and modernity and sought to distance itself from the modern Arab artists which they perceived as following European artistic traditions. One Dimension's objectives are complex and sophisticated; it is philosophy, technique, style and a relationship between time and space, between

2556-404: The different visions of these groups, collectively, they actively searched for new national vision which would enable the country to develop internally, as well as take its place on a world stage. These groups include: "We believe that heritage is not a prison, a static phenomenon or a force capable of repressing creativity so long as we have the freedom to accept or challenge its norms... We are

2627-508: The distinction between artists and artists was not well defined. A few named individuals are known, including the painter, Abbud 'the Jewish' Naqqash and the calligrapher, painter and decorator; Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi ("Hashim the Calligrapher", early 20th century) (died 1973) and Niazi Mawlawi Baghdadi (19th century), but relatively few details of their lives and careers are known. In

2698-454: The first half of the 13th century. Poetry also flourished during the Abbasid period, producing notable poets including: the 9th-century Sufi poets Mansur Al-Hallaj and Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī . The Abbasid artist, Yahya Al-Wasiti lived in Baghdad in the late Abbasid era (12th to 13th-centuries) was the pre-eminent artist of the Baghdad school. His most well-known works include

2769-593: The first three decades of the 20th century, there was little progress in art. Following World War One, a group of Polish officers, who had been part of the Foreign Legion, arrived in Baghdad and introduced local artists to a European style of painting, which in turn fostered a public appreciation of art. The Institute of Fine Arts and the Fine Arts Society were established in 1940-41 and the Iraqi Artists' Society

2840-544: The foundation of Iraq's strong 20th-century artistic tradition. Hassan founded the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad; many of Iraq's best known artists studied at this institution. Madiha Omar Madiha Umar (1908 – 2005 in Aleppo) ( Arabic : مديحة عمر ) was an Iraqi artist who was known for incorporating calligraphy with abstract art. She is generally perceived as the first Arab artist to have done this. Therefore, she

2911-504: The geographical region of what is present day Iraq since ancient Mesopotamian periods. For centuries, the capital, Baghdad was the Medieval centre of the literary and artistic Arab world during the Abbasid Caliphate , in which Baghdad was the capital, but its artistic traditions suffered at the hands of the Mongol invaders in the 13th century. During other periods it has flourished, such as during

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2982-578: The illustrated Kalila wa Dimna ( Fables of Bidpai ), (1222); a collection of fables by the Hindu, Bidpai translated into Arabic. For centuries, Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate ; its library was unrivalled and a magnet for intellectuals around the known world. However, in 1258, Baghdad fell to the Mongol invaders, who pillaged the city, decimating mosques, libraries and palaces, thereby destroying most of

3053-709: The illustrations for the book of the Maqamat (Assemblies) in 1237, a series of anecdotes of social satire written by al-Hariri . Al-Waiti's illustrations served as an inspiration for the 20th-century modern Baghdad art movement. Other examples of works in the style of the Baghdad School include the illustrations in Rasa'il al-Ikhwan al-Safa ( The Epistles of the Sincere Brethren ), (1287); an Arabic translation of Pedanius Dioscorides ’ medical text, De Materia Medica (1224) and

3124-720: The late 12th century, a stylistic movement of manuscript illustration and calligraphy emerged. Now known as the Baghdad School , this movement of Islamic art was characterised by representations of everyday life and the use of highly expressive faces rather than the stereotypical characters that had been used in the past. The school consisted of calligraphers, illustrators, transcribers and translators, who collaborated to produce illuminated manuscripts derived from non-Arabic sources. The works were primarily scientific, philosophical, social commentary or humorous entertainments. This movement continued for at least four decades, and dominated art in

3195-455: The late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, the Ba'ath Party mounted a program to beautify the city of Baghdad which led to numerous public art works being commissioned. Designed to instil a sense of national pride within the population, and to immortalise the leader, Saddam Hussein, these works provided work opportunities to the nation's architects, engineers and sculptors. During this period, artists showed

3266-623: The late 19th century, the rise of nationalistic and intellectual movements across the Arab world led to calls for an Arab-Islamic cultural revival. Artists and intellectuals felt that the growth in Western influences was a threat to Arab cultural identity. At the same time as local artists began to adopt Western practices such as easel painting. they also searched consciously for a distinct national style. The late 19th century and early 20th century are known as Nahda in Arabic. This term loosely translates as

3337-557: The literature of the 15th and 16th-centuries when Iraq was the centre of Arabic world. Notable 20th-century poets include Nazik Al-Malaika (1923–2007), one of the best known woman poets in the Arab world and who wrote the poem My Brother Jafaar for her brother, who was killed during the Al-Wathbah uprising in 1948; Muḥammad Mahdī al-Jawāhirī (1899–1997); Badr Shakir al-Sayyab (1926–1964); Abd al-Wahhab Al-Bayati (1926–1999) Ma'rif al-Rasafi (1875–1845); Abdulraziq Abdulwahed (b. 1930);

3408-485: The local press. These developments contributed to a unique aesthetic in the contemporary Iraqi art movement. Art historians have commented: Accordingly, the 20th-century Iraqi arts scene is notable for the number of different art groups or art movements that emerged in the post-colonial period. Each of these groups sought to forge a national art aesthetic that acknowledged Iraq's deep art heritage and incorporated it in contemporary artworks. Although there were tensions in

3479-599: The modern era to have incorporated Arabic letters into her art, and the first artist to have exhibited such works. Later in the same year, she wrote the book, Arabic Calligraphy: An Element of Inspiration in Abstract Art . In 1952, Umar participated in the Ibn Sina exhibition, held at the Art Institute in Baghdad with 48 paintings, all of which employed Arabic letters in a modern, secular artwork. This event brought her work to

3550-618: The movement emerged in the 1950s and was known as the Al-hurufiyyah movement , while in Iraq, the movement was known as Al Bu'd al Wahad (or the One Dimension Group)", and in Iran, the Saqqa-Khaneh movement . In Sudan, artworks took on a slightly different form - since artists rejected Western art traditions and included both Islamic calligraphy and West African motifs. In Sudan, the movement

3621-566: The new generation. We demand change, progression and creativity. Art stands in opposition to stasis. Art is continually creative. It is a mirror to the present moment and it’s the soul of the future." Other art groups, including the Triangle Group , the Shadows (formed by Ali Talib ) and the Academics formed throughout the 1970s, but few lasted for more than a year or two. Iraq has produced

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3692-541: The non-surface. Our consciousness of the world is a relative presence. It is our self-existence while our absence is our eternal presence." Al Said actively searched for relationships between time and space; and for a visual language that would connect Iraq's deep art traditions with modern art methods and materials. The incorporation of callij (calligraphy) letters into modern artworks was an important aspect of this relationship. The letter became part of Al Said's transition from figurative art to abstract art. Arabic calligraphy

3763-535: The peculiarities of Iraqi climate, culture and material availability. As cities underwent a period of "modernisation" in the early decades of the 20th century, traditional structures came under threat and subject to demolition. The mudhif (or reed dwelling) or the bayt (houses) with features such as the shanashol (the distinctive oriel window with timber lattice-work) and bad girs ( wind-catchers ) were being lost with alarming haste. The architect, Rifat Chadirji along with his father, Kamil Chadirji, feared

3834-461: The possibilities of incorporating letters into her artwork. She first began to explore the idea of integrating Arabic letters into painting in the 1940s and in 1949, with the encouragement of art historian, Richard Ettinghausen , she exhibited a series of 22 hurufist-inspired paintings at Georgetown Public Library in Washington. For this, she generally earns the reputation as the first Arab artist of

3905-483: The reign of Pir Budaq , or under Ottoman rule in the 16th century when Baghdad was known for its Ottoman miniature painting. In the 20th century, an art revival, which combined both tradition and modern techniques, produced many notable poets, painters and sculptors who contributed to the inventory of public artworks, especially in Baghdad. These artists are highly regarded in the Middle East, and some have earned international recognition. The Iraqi modern art movement had

3976-630: The religious and social prohibitions on making figurative images. The first camera entered Iraq as late as 1895 when an Iraqi photographer, Abdul-Karim Tabouni, from Basra, returned to Iraq following a trip to India where he had studied the art of photography. He founded a photographic studio and practiced this profession for many years. In the 19th century, demand for photography came from three main sources: archaeological expeditions who needed to document sites as well as artefacts that were too cumbersome or too fragile to transport; religious missions who documented religious sites and tourists travelling through

4047-523: The revolutionary poet, Muzaffar Al-Nawab (b. 1934); Buland Al Haidari (b. 1926) and Janil Sidiq al-Zahaiwi (1863–1936). In post-war Iraq, poetry was very much influenced by the political and social upheavals that Iraqis had experienced throughout the 20th century and with many poets living in exile, themes of 'strangeness' and 'being a stranger' often dominated contemporary poetry. Iraqi poets, including Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, often turned to Iraqi folklore which they often integrated with Western mythology. He

4118-513: The rule of the Qara Quyunlu dynasty artists from different parts of the eastern Islamic world were invited to Iraq. Under the patronage of Pir Budaq , son of the Qara Quyunlu ruler, Jahan Shah (r. 1439–67), Iranian styles from Tabriz and Shiraz and even the styles of Timurid Central Asia were all brought together in Iraq. Baghdad's importance as a centre of the arts declined after Pir Budaq's death in 1466. The Qara Quyunlu period ended with

4189-453: The second half of the 19th century. Religious missionaries were also using the camera to document historic religious sites. These activities exposed local Iraqis to the technology, and provided young men with employment opportunities as photographers and camera-men assisting archaeological teams. For instance, throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, the American anthropologist, Professor Henry Field

4260-548: The three dominant languages of his time: Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. Iraq was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1534, during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent . The Iraqi poet Fuzûlî wrote in Arabic, Persian and Turkish during this time, and continued writing poetry after Ottoman rule was established in 1534. During the 16th century, Baghdad underwent another period of artistic revival; Iraqi painting from this time

4331-491: The traditions of Arabic calligraphy and associated Sufi movements. In practice, a single inner dimension was difficult to realise because most artworks are produced on two-dimensional surfaces. At a more profound level, one dimension refers to "eternity". Al Said explained: "From a philosophical point of view, the One-Dimension is eternity, or an extension of the past to the time before the existence of pictorial surface; to

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4402-480: The visual and the non-visual. The "one dimension" is an oblique reference to Sufism , which has been described as "the inner dimension of Islam ." The objectives of the One Dimension Group were multi-dimensional and complex. At the most basic level, the group rejected two and three-two dimensional artwork in favour of a single "inner dimension". This approach was influenced by both the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and

4473-462: The wearing of the veil while Halim Alkarim uses blurred images to suggest the political instability of Iraq. Modern architecture presented contemporary architects with a major challenge. A continuous tradition of both domestic and public architecture was evident, but failed to conform with modern materials and methods. From the early 20th century, architecture employed new styles and new materials and public taste became progressively modern. The period

4544-717: Was Syrian ; mixed parentage was typical in the multicultural Turkish Empire. However, the family moved to Iraq when she was a young girl. Umar attended the Sultaniyya School in Istanbul , where she drew praise from Ali Riza for her painting skills. She then trained as a teacher at the Maria Grey Training College in London in the 1930s, graduating with First class honours in Arts and Crafts in 1933. She then taught painting at

4615-470: Was active from the mid-1940s, was one of the pioneers of the hurufiyya movement, since she was the first to explore the use of Arabic script in a contemporary art context and exhibited hurufiyya-inspired works in Washington as early as 1949. Artists’ desire to tap into Iraq’s art heritage within the context of contemporary artworks stimulated the formation of art groups, many of which codified their aims and objectives in manifestos that were published, often in

4686-498: Was characterised by original designs produced by local architects, who had been trained in Europe, including: Mohamed Makiya , Makkiyya al-Jadiri, Mazlum, Qatan Adani and Rifat Chadirji . Like visual artists, Iraqi architects searched for a distinctly national style of architecture and this became a priority in the 20th century. Mohammed Makkiyya and Rifat Chadirji were the two most influential architects in terms of defining modern Iraqi architecture. The architect, Chadirji, who wrote

4757-647: Was charged with intellectual and esoteric Sufi meaning, in that it was an explicit reference to a Medieval theology where letters were seen as primordial signifiers and manipulators of the cosmos. Al Said, and members of the One Dimension group, searched for a new artistic identity, drawn from within their own culture and heritage and successfully integrated Islamic visual traditions, especially calligraphy and Arabic motifs, into contemporary, abstract compositions. At an individual level, these artists were carrying out their own dialogue with national identity and modern art, at

4828-598: Was founded in 1956, after which many exhibitions were mounted. In 1958, British rule was overthrown and Abdul Karim Qasim assumed power. This led to triumphant demonstrations and expressions of national pride. In early 1959, Qasim commissioned Jawad Saleem to create Nasb al-Hurriyah ( Monument to Freedom, ) to commemorate Iraq's independence. Artists began to look to their history for inspiration and employed arabesque geometry and calligraphy as visual elements in their compositions, and referred to folk tales and scenes drawn from everyday life for artistic inspiration. In

4899-419: Was involved in several expeditions to ancient Mesopotamian sites and in his publications, he acknowledged the assistance of Iraqi photographer by the name of Shauqat (who was a nephew of the photographer, Abdul-Karim Tiouti). The writer, Gertrude Bell also reports training a young boy in the process of developing photographs in Baghdad in 1925. A second factor was that, in the 1920s, King Faisal I arranged for

4970-483: Was known as the Old Khartoum School. Original members of the One Dimension group include: Rafa al-Nasiri , Mohammed Ghani Hikmat , Nuri al-Rawi , Dia Azzawi , Jamil Hamoudi , Hashem Samarchi (b. 1939), Hashim al-Baghdadi (1917-1973) and Saad Shaker (1935-2005). Iraqi art#Art groups Iraqi art is one of the richest art heritages in world and refers to all works of visual art originating from

5041-573: Was realism, impressionism or romanticism. On their return to Baghdad, they set up studios and began to offer painting lessons to talented, local artists. Many of the next generation of artists began by studying with the artists from the Ottoman group. Their public works, which included murals, public monuments and artworks in the foyers of institutions or commercial buildings, exposed Iraqi people to Western art and contributed to art appreciation. As Middle-Eastern nations began to emerge from colonial rule,

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