Monday, February 11, 2008

of ships & fantastical creatures


I grew up craning my neck & observing in complete wonderment the details of these ancient images every weekend at the Mansion of Bahji. I believe an artist was commissioned to decorate above the multiple blue windows with lovely individual images at the time of it's first owner (‘Údí Khammár). It dawned on me only recently, after all these years, how they have influenced my imagination subconsciously.

6 comments:

  1. lovely shirin! i love to hear about where the inspiration for your work comes from!

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  2. It must be amazing to realize that things have inspired you your whole life without you even knowing it!

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  3. it's boggling to think about what sorts of inspirations this artist had when producing pieces that seem now non-classical, what with musical elves in pointy hats dancing atop a table with creatures upon a box that grows trees.

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  4. p.s. what sort of business would a French boat of that size have in a harbour in Palestine?

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  5. amy- thanks lady! i'm more than happy sharing my inspirations.

    ews- those kind of realizations are most certainly amazing! especially after all these years...

    na'im- I KNOW! either that or he had an amazing imagination...I believe these murals must have been made sometime circa the 1820's, perhaps he saw a French boat on the Mediterranean?

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