Tributes have poured in for Sliman Mansour, one of the most influential figures in contemporary Palestinian art, after his death at the age of 79.
The painter and sculptor, born in Birzeit, spent more than five decades chronicling Palestinian identity, displacement and resistance.
His works became some of the most enduring images of the Palestinian experience.
Mansour's family announced his death on Monday, saying he had left behind “a life filled with beauty, memory, and a legacy that will continue to live through all those he touched”.
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, the Emirati writer, researcher and founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, said the world had "lost a giant of modern Arab art".
“Few other artists illustrated Palestinian life as Sliman Mansour did, whether it is the olive tree or the spirit of resilience or the beauty of Palestinian life and culture,” Al Qassemi told The National.
“Sliman was part of a group of Palestinian artists who, in the wake of the first Intifada of the 1980s, defied Israeli restrictions on Palestinian life by adapting the materials they used to make art, switching from oil on canvas to locally sourced materials. He became known for his works using mud and straw. Using earth to make art was, for Sliman, also a reflection of Palestinian connectedness to their homeland.
“Sliman captured a universal Palestinian spirit. His artworks are also among the most recognisable in the Arab world, even for people who aren't very interested or knowledgeable about art."
The artist worked from within Palestine and witnessed the harshness of the occupation on a daily basis, Al Qassemi added.
"His paintings captured this reality, but more importantly, they offered symbols of perseverance to all Palestinians," he said.
“Sliman's figurative style was immediately recognised by all Palestinians and was adapted into posters, T-shirts, tattoos and mobile phone wallpapers. When Palestinians wanted an image of love, life or resilience, it's very likely that they'd opt for a painting by Sliman Mansour."
Renowned Iraqi sculptor Ahmed Al Bahrani also posted a tribute on social media, calling Mansour "a great teacher".
"An artist of conviction and a cause, who painted his homeland while never leaving it," Al Barani posted in Arabic. "He did not paint it from afar. Rather, his works were a part of him, carried with him like a wound that never healed. He remained faithful to that, dedicating all his art to championing his people. He turned his colours and his art into an act of resistance, and his paintings came to embody the cause of a people who resist and will never be defeated."
The Palestine Museum said the community had lost "a beloved face of Palestine and one of those who, over decades, taught us how to see it".
“Throughout his life, Sliman Mansour continued to paint this land and carry it with him – its land and its people, its villages and cities, its olive trees, homes and faces. Palestine was not so much the subject of his work as it was its purpose. Over the decades, his paintings became one of the ways through which we preserved the country and imagined it," the Palestine Museum posted.
Zawyeh Gallery, which is dedicated to supporting Palestinian artists and has locations in Ramallah and Dubai, said Mansour’s influence extended far beyond his own practice.
“His work became an essential part of Palestinian visual memory, giving enduring form to the relationship between the Palestinian people and their homeland," they shared on social media.
"His influence extended far beyond his own practice, leaving a profound mark on generations of artists and on the Palestinian and Arab art scene. With his passing, we lose a towering figure, but the legacy he leaves behind will remain deeply embedded in the history and memory of Palestinian art.”
