Maaloula 1972

Editor: Here we have Louay Kayyali's "Maaloula" from 1972, a mixed-media landscape. The pale blues and earthy browns give it such a peaceful, almost dreamlike quality, despite all the architectural details. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Oh, it whispers stories, doesn’t it? The way Kayyali layers watercolor and colored pencil… it’s like he's not just painting a place, but a memory of a place. It has elements of Orientalism – not in a cliché way, but in a heartfelt, almost intimate embrace of the vernacular. Look how the architecture stacks, one form atop the other… it is dense and airy at the same time, somehow. Editor: I see what you mean. There's something really timeless about it, even though it’s clearly from a specific period. I wouldn’t necessarily associate this style with the 70s, though. Curator: And that’s precisely where its magic lies, doesn’t it? Kayyali seems to be channeling something ancient, something beyond the immediate now. But do you think the color palette enhances that sensation? Editor: Absolutely. Those muted tones… they give the impression of weathered stone, baked by the sun for centuries. It feels solid and immutable but still really fragile, like a memory you’re scared to touch too hard. Curator: Exactly! Kayyali uses the personal to illuminate the universal, don't you think? A quiet masterpiece...it has such tenderness and such melancholic understanding. It certainly stirs the heart. Editor: Definitely! It has opened my eyes to considering new approaches in analyzing landscapes, which is very helpful. Curator: Me too. Let's ponder its magic longer.