As one of the first Iraqi artists to study abroad, Hafidh Al-Droubi is noted for his ability to experiment with a varying degree of art historical schools while actively becoming a crucial figure in the field of art education and the growth of modernism in Iraq. Capturing the beauty of everyday life within his paintings, he experimented across modern schools in Cubism, Realism, and Impressionism and practices beyond the boundaries of limitations set by certain styles. Producing a unique rendering across colour and form, the scenes depicted in his works are drawn from the streets, marketplaces, and interiors of Iraq's cities and villages. The present work, Khadimain Alley depicts the suburban area where Al-Kadhimiya Mosque is located.

Al-Droubi began his arts education at the Academia Reale in Rome in 1937 and later at the Goldsmiths College in London. Prior his initial leave from Iraq, he co-founded the Society of the Friends of Art in 1941 alongside Jewad Selim (1921-1960), Faeq Hassan (1914-1991), and Abdul Qadir al Rassam (1882-1952). Upon returning to Iraq after graduating from London in 1950, he integrated himself in the emerging art scene. In 1953, Al-Droubi established the Impressionist Group in correlation with his career as an art educator, a key student being Dia Al-Azzawi. This group greatly followed the thinking of Al-Droubi, by way of his educational agendas in approaching creation with various techniques and stylistic angles, aiming to achieve a mutual outlook towards art training, and developing styles of their own outside of the Impressionist scope.



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The Al-Droubi family have kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work. We would like to thank the Al-Droubi family for their review of their archives.