Al Tariq (The Way) 1964

Ismail Shammout made this painting, Al Tariq, or 'The Way', with what looks like oil on canvas. The palette is earthy, ochres, browns, and muddy greens, laid down with confident strokes. It's a crowd scene, a sea of faces, all gazing intently in the same direction. They're holding rifles, their expressions a mix of determination and apprehension. The paint is applied thickly, giving the surface a textured, almost sculptural quality. Shammout doesn’t blend his colors much, he lets them sit side-by-side. Take a look at the face in the lower left corner. See how the artist uses dark lines to define the eyes and mouth, giving the figure a sense of depth and gravitas. The painting reminds me of those heroic socialist realist paintings, but with a more personal, intimate feel. It makes you think about art as a way of seeing and experiencing the world.