Al Farah (Joy) 1993

Here's an artwork called "Al Farah (Joy)" by Ismail Shammout, and I can imagine it just coming to life, layer after layer, with brushstrokes dancing to some inner rhythm. What was he thinking, I wonder, as he put brush to canvas? Maybe he was thinking about the weight of history, the weight of displacement, the weight of hope. The figures are painted in greens and whites, like they're part of the land itself. They have their hands up, and they are joyful. That feeling of joy, it practically bursts off the canvas, doesn't it? It makes me think about other artists, like Jacob Lawrence, who also painted about the movement and struggle of people. Artists, we're all in this conversation, you know? Ultimately, painting is about feeling, about trying to capture something that can't be put into words. Shammout's "Joy" isn't just a picture, it's an experience. It’s open for all of us.