“Beginning of the road” is the theme title of a new painting exhibition that opened on 31 July 2017 in Lamasatt art gallery in Downtown Cairo. The exhibition is under the sponsorship of Safiya al-Qabbani, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Helwan University, and runs till 10 August.
“This exhibition is very important as it aims at cultivating young gifted artists, which creates a new generation of creative artists,” Dr Qabbani noted.
Among participant young artists are Amina Khaled Mahmoud; Ayatullah Ahmed Sobhy; Fatma al-Zahraa; Shorouq Ahmed; Marina Boulos; Marina Nash’at; Abeer Nabil Mahmoud; Yehia Tarek Ahmed; and Nour Ahmed.
Most of artworks on display are portraits of celebrities and well-known figures in different fields: actors (Robin Williams and Charlie Chaplain); football players (Brazilian player Pelé); and even saints such as Pope Kyrillos VI. Others depict topics such as marginalized, oppressed women; or still-life oil paintings depicting vividly coloured flowers in impressionist touches.
A number of paintings combine Pharaonic and Coptic art to represent Egypt’s cultural identity, using elements of these ages: the lotus flower and the cross.
