University of Baghdad

College of Fine Arts

Department of Plastic Art
Painting Branch

Faeq Hassan
A Report, Submitted to the Department of Plastic Art in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Final Examinations of
English (2019-2020)

By: Zainab Ammar Sabih

Third stage, section -A-
Morning Studies
Submitted to: Dr. Abdul Jalil Fadel

10th July 2020

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Faeq was an Iraqi painter noted for founding several 20th-century art groups, which
collectively were responsible for bridging the gap between Iraqi heritage and traditional art
and modern art. He is often called the 'father of Iraqi modern art.

His Life
He was born in Baghdad in 1914 into a poor family. His father had died before the infant,
Hassan was born. As a child, he helped his mother who made folkloric clay statues of Arab
Bedouins and local farmers. King Faisal I once saw Faeq drawing a horse and Recognized
his talent, the King promised to give the young artist a scholarship. However, the King died
in 1933 before he could carry out his promise.
During the early 1930s, Hassan gave art lessons at a local school, and when the new King
Faisal II visited his school. He graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris in 1938.
Hassan was one of a very small group of artists sent to study abroad. On their return to
Iraq, this group became the cornerstone of modern art in Iraq.
He died in 1992 from heart failure.
His accomplishments
On his return to Baghdad, Hassan, and his friend, artist, and sculptor, Jawad Saleem,
founded the Painting Department at the Fine Arts Institute in 1939-1940 in which he
lectured. From this department graduated many leading Iraqi artists. He also founded the
Al-Ruwad (The Pioneers Group), in the 1930s and was its President for many years. His
group attempted to incorporate local phenomena into art. They rejected the artificial
atmosphere of the artist's studio and encouraged artists to engage with nature and traditional
Iraqi life and held their first exhibition in 1931.
In 1950, Hassan established the Avantgarde Group (also known as the Primitive Group or
the Societe Primitive)a group of local artists that attempted to incorporate local phenomena
into art. Inspired by Mesopotamian art and Iraqi folklore, the group was led by Hassan
along with artist, Isma'il al-Shaykhali (Turkey b. 1927).
In 1962, he founded the al-Zawiya (the Corners Group) intending to use art to focus on
social and political issues, and serve national interests.
Hassan also worked as a chronicler of the daily reality of life. He organized dozens of trips
around Iraq, each consisting of several painters; they drew every kind of life in Iraq,
including the Bedouins in the deserts, fishermen in the southern marshes, and rice growers
in central Iraq.

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His Artworks
- Select list of artworks
▪ The Tent, oil on wood, 80 X 90 cm, 1956.
▪ Celebration of Victory, mosaic mural, public work, Tiran Square, Baghdad, 1967.
▪ The History of Iraq, oil on canvas, triptych, 186.5 x 300 cm (per panel), c. 1970.
▪ Village Life, oil on canvas, 1971.
▪ A Horseman, oil on canvas, the 1980s.
▪ Two Men, oil on canvas, date unknown.
▪ Abstract Couple, oil on canvas, date unknown.
▪ The Groom, oil on canvas, date unknown.
Dr. Ali Witwit, a critic and head of the sociology department at al-Qadisya University,
Iraq, says Hassan's paintings were more than the imagery of nature.
Faeq Hassan's artistic practice was characterized by technical skill and diversity.
Throughout his career, he explored various methods. Faiq was very knowledgeable and
experienced in the field of technical techniques, and his students and colleagues admitted
this. Especially he was very skilled in the use of colors, and he was very proud of his
chemical knowledge of the pigment composition. He even considered that a skilled painter
possessed a complex understanding of color technology.
Despite his technical prowess, Faeq Hassan was asserting that perfection is not the ultimate
goal in his artistic production, but rather a means of expression. The real essence of his
work was his ability to capture the spirit of Iraqi daily life. Indeed, its subject matter was
drawn from the Iraqi context; The drawings of his villagers, workers, knights, and
landscapes dominated his works and depicted them with emotional flair, whatever the style.
The famous series of super-paintings, "Knights of Arabia" was accomplished with strong
brushstrokes, which gives it a remarkable vitality and often carries a romantic character.
However, most of Faeq’s first works were characterized by abstract and straight lines, as
he showed during his career a tendency to the realistic style in his drawings, all of these
works indicate the breadth of his artistic competence and the dedication of his art to
conveying an Iraqi sense that was in line with the national feelings that prevailed at the
time.
Given his exceptional talent and dedication to art education, Faeq Hassan is mentioned
today as a “teacher” or “Mentor”. He certainly played a major role and there is no
exaggeration of its importance.

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 References
• En.wikipedia.org. Faeq Hassan. [online] Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faeq_Hassan
• Aljazeera.com. 2005. Profile: Faik Hassan. [online] Available at:
https://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2005/10/20084101200333393.html
• Encyclopedia.mathaf.org.qa. ‫فائق حسن‬. [online] Available at:
http://www.encyclopedia.mathaf.org.qa/ar/bios/Pages/Faiq-Hassan-Alawi-al-
Janabi.aspx
• Arthistoryarchive.com. 2020. Iraqi Artists Suad Al-Attar, Ala Bashir, Faeq Hassan
& Abdul Qadir Al Rassam - The Art History Archive. [online] Available at:
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/arabic/Iraqi-Artists.html