Mustafa
Faroukh's Oil Painting - Tabkhit Al-Bahss – 1955 ‘Tabkhit
Al-Bahss’ (The Cooking of Stones), is 80cms wide and 64cms
high without frame. -Contact
Us-
There’s a saying that every picture tells a story. But
never was this phrase used more accurately than in the
case of master artist Mustafa Farroukh’s‘ Tabkhit al-Bass’
(Cooking of Stones). This oil painting by the Lebanese-born
contemporary artist has a truly poignant tale behind the
picture that we can all see.
Commissioned in 1955 by the Islamic Art Society just two
years before Farroukh’s death, the painting depicts a
well-documented legend believed to be a true happening
which took place during the early days of Islam just after
the prophet Mohammed’s death, during the reign of Omar
Bin Al Khatab, the second Khalifa of Islam. Its subject
is an impoverished mother who, because she has no money
to buy food, is cooking stones on a fire in the hope that
her hungry children will drift off to sleep thinking that
there will be something for them to eat when they wake
up. Watching this heart-breaking scene in disguise is
the Khalifa and his Grand Wazir (Prime Minister) who,
having brought real food themselves, are now cooking for
the family. The Khalifa is pictured kneeling and blowing
on the fire while the mother and her children, huddled
together, look on.The atmosphere in this wonderful painting
is evoked through the use of bold, dark oils which manage
to conjure up the night-time scene and also the bleak
experience that the family were going through.
The artist was born in Beirut in 1901, studied at the
Royal College of Fine Arts in Rome, graduating in 1927.
He then moved to Paris where he studied under a number
of well-known French painters. During these years, he
made a name for himself as an emerging artist, participating
in major exhibitions. Farroukh returned to Beirut in 1932,
where he began teaching. He also wrote five books, which
included putting his lectures into print. This stemmed
from his strong desire to pass on his deep understanding
of the basic rules of painting that he had learned and
perfected during his own studies. He continued to work
prolifically himself, producing breath-taking landscapes,
portraits and still-life, which were clearly and authentically
deeply rooted in their natural surroundings.
In 1955, Farroukh received the first prize of the President
of the Republic, the Lebanese order of Merit, and the
Order of the Cedar (Knight and Officer). Surely a sign
that his country, as well as critics worldwide, recognized
the huge talent that he possessed.
