Masterpieces – The History of a Period

A Hero’s Burial (81 x 65 cm – 1990)

This is a composition in the form of a lozenge or reversed V’s. Forms of great subtlety lead the eye in circles to the center of the canvas, where the hero may be seen lying in his shroud, the Lebanese flag, for he has given his life for his nation. A vast crowd occupies two-thirds of the work. The upper third is taken up by a large building, for here is the Lebanese University, the School of Fine Arts, with a mournful blue sky above.

One sees flags and banners white and green, with a golden cross in the center, for this is a Christian burial taking place in the East Side of Beirut, of course, for this last war was a fratricidal one between national elements and forces of evil and treachery. The tones are warm, with reds predominating. The whole crowd is united in one great mass. When contemplating this canvas one feels absorbed into one wide communion of patriotism, each one of us becoming a component of the work.