‘Ever since man made his appearance in this world, Humans have been striving to explain the phenomena of the universe and his relationships there as well. In his endeavor to reach to equilibrium between himself and the outer world, he tended to creating forms by which he rearranged the relations between the elements of the universe, and determines his attitude towards the diverse forces of nature and his struggle against them.’ -Fatma Arargi

Exhibited at the artist’s retrospective at Al Masar Gallery, Cairo in 2019, the present lot Martyr by Fatma Arargi is a large-scale, emotionally charged work that captures the dark sentiments of its time. Painted with deeply rich colours, Martyr depicts a sombre funeral scene and was created soon after the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Six Day War of 1967, a period of deep emotional fracture which dealt a huge blow to the Arab region. During this time and thereafter, questions around the notions of existence were tackled and reflected on, in works by artists throughout the region including Hamad Ewais, Dia Azzawi and Ismail Shammout.

With the advent of the 1952 Egyptian revolution, a legacy of strong artists began to revive their national cultural spirit, travelling the country in the hopes to document and experience the many historical layers of their country. Arargi follows a line of Egyptian modern artists who explored the local legends, folklore, and the inner complexities and expressions of the self during this period, such as Effat Naghi, Hamed Nada and Abdel Hadi El Gazzar. Amidst these political and social changes across the country, Arargi attempted to harmoniously blend a strong contemporary, humanist element driven by Egyptian heritage. Martyr, 1967-68 was completed at a time when the artist was depicting lives of the Egyptian working class with scenes of motherhood and family life.

During Arargi’s participation at an art residency at Luxor, she focused on documenting the richness of the landscapes and explored her portrayals of fishermen and local peasants. Gradually, her style shifted towards a metaphysical abstraction that later dominated her works in the 1970s and 1980s, as she expanded her research into the vision of Man and the Universe. Martyr, 1967-68 is a focal work for capturing the ‘undercurrent of life’ so deeply felt within the composition, with rich tones and painted just before her exploration into the abstract.

Graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo in 1951, Arargi later took the position as head of the painting department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1981. Since 1958, her works have been shown at museum exhibitions including the Museum of Modern Art, Cairo; Museum of Fine Art, Alexandria, and the Mahmoud Saïd Museum, Alexandria. In 1985, Arargi represented Egypt at the São Paolo Biennial.