Untitled 1988

Curator: Here we have an “Untitled” piece by Ismail Shammout, dating back to 1988. He worked primarily with oil paint. What’s capturing your eye? Editor: It feels like a dream… or perhaps a carefully constructed memory. All these architectural elements smooshed together – a Romanesque arch leading to, well, other architectural styles entirely. There's an inherent romanticism in the Mediterranean architecture that he seems to want us to notice. Curator: Definitely! It's a visual narrative woven from recognizable symbols. Note the hamsa above the arched doorway, a protective talisman rooted in Middle Eastern cultures. The mosaic window speaks to a rich artistic heritage, and the books hint at intellectual pursuits and historical awareness. It’s a fascinating interplay of exterior and interior, culture, and personal refuge. Editor: Precisely, refuge… There’s a figure seated alone by the window overlooking the ocean. Are they contained? Safe? Or trapped? That blue outside feels vast, infinite almost, contrasted by the earth tones surrounding the figure that seem, by comparison, very confined. This kind of architectural structure seems emblematic of larger psychological ideas for Ismail Shammout. Curator: Good point. That position at the window could be one of yearning for escape or conversely, of contented observation. Shammout lived through immense political turmoil and displacement, themes that infuse his work. Editor: Right. It’s impossible to ignore the echoes of exile and longing inherent within the painting, given Shammout’s biography. It makes me question what is kept, what can be carried on in diaspora: home, books, symbols, light… Curator: The longer I look, the more those architectural features read as metaphors: thresholds crossed, passages opened or closed. What persists? The weight of history in those stone archways, yet lightness and hope filtered through colored glass. It’s as if Shammout built his own version of utopia on that canvas… Editor: A beautiful, and yet melancholy utopia, one tempered by the vastness of the world and all that can be lost within it. An interesting interpretation by Ismail Shammout indeed!