Testimonials

Our colleague, the Syrian artist Said Tahsin, captured the essence of Damascus’s colours with diligence, skill, and profound love for his homeland. When I visited him at his home years ago, his artworks adorned the walls, and he spent his final days surrounded by these silent creations. In most of his works, the dominant colours reflected the light of Damascus at seven o’clock in the morning in 1950 and earlier, as well as the colours of the lights at six o’clock in the evening in the ancient Damascus oriental civilization. The atmosphere of the paintings echoed his personality as a colourist, with some pieces infused with a deeply rooted urban social fragrance that only a native could truly appreciate. This unique quality characterized Said Tahsin’s work. All this effort took place during a challenging time that forced the artist into a sombre silence, shrouded in a veil of spiritual estrangement.

Fine arts are an intellectual addition that represents the beautiful face of the people, steering contemporary movements toward a democratic nobility needed by modern humans because it is the guarantee of honourable perpetuity. Said Tahsin left this world while looking back at the bridge he had crossed, full of wonder.

This statement was made by Fateh Moudarres, the Dean of the Syrian Fine Arts Union and a prominent Syrian painter of modern times, during the forty-day commemoration of Said Tahsin’s passing. The event was held under the patronage of Dr. Najah al-Attar, Syria’s Minister of Culture.

Univers des arts… Winter 2024-2025 Thibaud Josset

Saïd Tahsin 1904-1985

A major painter of the Middle East, Saïd Tahsin is currently experiencing a revival in artistic and historical studies, soon to be materialized in the publication of two significant volumes: one dedicated to his memoirs and the other to a comprehensive catalog of his works. Tahsin’s unique body of work and his remarkable journey, documented through extensive writings he left behind, highlight his profound influence on the Arab world in the early 20th century and provide a rich perspective on contemporary Arab-Muslim pictorial culture.

There are artistic encounters one wishes had happened sooner. Initially approached from a historian’s perspective, Saïd Tahsin (1904–1985) continues to surprise researchers—not only due to the context of his life but also because of the astonishing stylistic diversity in his painted works. The trajectory of his life, painstakingly reconstructed through his memoirs and an extensive cross-referencing effort by economist and historian Samir Aïta, his grandson, could itself merit an in-depth analysis, as it challenges conventional perceptions of Levantine artistic production in the last century.

A native of Syria, Saïd Tahsin traversed the Arab world throughout the mid-20th century, offering a glimpse into a vibrant intellectual ecosystem that intertwined artistic, literary, mystical, and political spheres. While this environment is familiar to experts of the period, it is worth noting that the artist’s life defies typical frameworks of interpretation and, in truth, seems almost impossible to summarize.

Especially given the significant gaps and ambiguities that mark his journey, adding layers of mystery and paradox. A pure autodidact, Saïd Tahsin distinguished himself as one of the finest technical artists, in the classical sense, of his time. Born and deeply rooted in Damascus, it was in Baghdad that he developed his strong aesthetic and political consciousness, and in Cairo where he spent the last two decades of his life, bringing his work to its final maturity.

There is a sense of presence-absence in his art, a gravity that embodies the elusive. Throughout his life, Tahsin devoted himself to painting an immense variety of themes, reinventing his style with each subject. His creative trajectory cannot be described as a linear evolution, as is typical in art history, but rather—quite disconcertingly—as a state of constant transformation. His technical mastery allowed him to adopt any visual universe and reshape it to serve his personal vision. His approach feels driven by a totalizing impulse, a restless spirit that defies constraints, transcends boundaries, and embraces the essence of pictorial expression before addressing its form.

Tahsin didn’t merely adapt; he reinterpreted, blended, and molded his medium, treating it not just as malleable but as the very essence of malleability. This approach contrasts sharply with the European 20th-century notion of style and challenges traditional perceptions of Middle Eastern artistic production, often stereotyped as restricted or monolithic within its political and religious context.

By alternately embracing realism, naturalism, impressionism, pointillism, symbolism, surrealism, fantasy, and dreamlike expression; by becoming at once a painter of battles, a sensitive portraitist, an epic storyteller, a grandiose landscapist, and an intimate scenographer, Saïd Tahsin continually reinvented himself. Yet, he never ceased to be unmistakably himself, leaving his indelible mark on every one of his canvases.

This explains the feeling of an uncanny presence hovering around Saïd Tahsin’s works, intensified by the impossibility of defining their exact nature: the shadow of the creator’s hand is everywhere, yet the hand itself remains unseen. In a creative flow that seems unbroken and never at rest, the artist, whose concerns, desires, and aspirations are hinted at here and there, always stays one step ahead of the observer. Just when you think you’ve arrived at his door, he’s already moved on.

Diving into the decades of his artistic output is as fascinating as it is frustrating, as there’s always a sense that something essential about him eludes us. Beyond the political and ideological debates prevalent in the Arab world of his time, and beyond the shifting ideas one can infer from his work, Tahsin ultimately and above all created a kaleidoscopic portrait of Islam. In his art, Islamic thought appears as diverse, multifaceted, and encompassing all the philosophical and mystical roots of its civilization.

Particularly notable is Tahsin’s inspired love for the poetry of Al-Ma‘arri, the towering literary figure of the medieval Arab world, whose cynical spirituality remains as powerful today as it was a thousand years ago. It’s worth noting that Al-Ma‘arri’s major work is available to French readers thanks to an extraordinary translation and presentation by Hoa Hoï Vuong and Patrick Mégarbané, published under the title Les Impératifs: Poèmes de l’ascèse in 2009 by Sindbad/Actes Sud.

For those who look beyond the images, Saïd Tahsin’s painted oeuvre resembles a series of ajar doors, each offering a glimpse into a fascinating mental universe—an era, a culture, a philosophical religion before it was political, and above all, a mystery. This mystery, the ineffable truth of a man who, through painting, tirelessly expressed what he believed needed to be said, remains at the heart of his legacy.

It’s remarkable to consider how one person could explore and excel in so many different styles, mediums, and genres. How do we define an artist who doesn’t fit neatly into any of the traditional categories of Western art history? Is a distinctive style necessary to be considered an artist? Said Tahsin didn’t confine himself to a single style but embraced many, reflecting different phases of his life. He never followed formal art instruction but instead spent time teaching art himself. His genius lay not in adhering to a singular style but in his exceptional talent as a self-taught artist. He painted, drew, and sketched from his own experiences, his observations, and his emotions, creating a rich and varied body of work… Throughout his life, Said Tahsin infused his art with a rich array of symbols. His early paintings simply reflected his surroundings, but as time went on, his work evolved into grand representations of his political beliefs, cultural heritage, and religious convictions…

In his use of colour, Tahsin shows a clear influence of the French artist Paul Gauguin (1864-1903). Gauguin, when mentoring Paul Sérusier (1864-1927), encouraged breaking away from traditional colour use, urging artists to represent the world with the colours they perceive…

As I sit in front of this 45 x 30 cm oil on canvas for just a few minutes, I can almost hear the gentle sound of running water and the distant chirping of birds. I feel a sense of calm and rest. Perhaps there’s the faint sound of someone whistling in another room or a child’s laughter from somewhere out of sight. Before this tranquil scene, time seems to stand still, offering a respite from the rush of life. Tahsin has captured a simple, sentimental moment far more evocatively than any photograph could…

Throughout his artistic career, Said Tahsin (1904-1985) was deeply committed to humanitarian issues, as well as the historical and political events of his country and the local heritage of Damascus… The historical context suggests that a significant part of Said Tahsin’s early inspiration came from his Damascene surroundings. Even though Tahsin adopted new European techniques, such as oil paints and canvas, his work was deeply rooted in local traditions…

While we lack definitive evidence of Tahsin’s exposure to specific artistic movements or schools through books, some impressionistic features are evident in his work. These include colour touches and the practice of painting en plein air to capture natural light and seasonal changes. Tahsin’s impressionist style, though influenced by European techniques, was infused with a distinct local character, reflected not only in formal elements but also in the adaptation of light values to suit the local environment…

Said Tahsin described himself in his memoirs as a “classical artist,” yet his works spanned realism, symbolism, impressionism, and surrealism. These terms are more semantic descriptors than precise categories in his case, as he never explicitly aligned himself with any specific movement or delved deeply into them in his writings. His memoirs reveal many of his humanitarian and national inspirations, which consistently fueled his creative ideas. They also provide some insight into his artistic methods and production stages, indicating his focus on harmonizing elements of color and scenery with his vision for the artwork.

Nour Asalia is a Syrian art critic, graduated of the Sculpture Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus and Paris 8 University. She is a researcher at the Doctoral School of Aesthetics, Sciences, and Technologies of the Arts under the supervision of Paul-Louis Rinuy.