Girl In The Village 1982

Sliman Mansour painted 'Girl in the Village' using traditional oil paints on canvas. The earth-toned palette connects the figure to the land, as do the shapes describing the village, all carefully composed with thin layers of paint. The canvas texture isn’t disguised; Mansour doesn't try to hide the labor involved. The painting’s modest scale gives it an intimate, almost devotional quality, not unlike a religious icon. Mansour is known for art engaged with Palestinian identity and nationhood. His choice of painting, a well-established fine art medium, is interesting, given the political nature of his work. By using oil paint, a material associated with the Western art tradition, Mansour subtly challenges the distinction between art and craft, asserting the value and importance of Palestinian cultural expression within a global context. The painting becomes a statement, embedding personal and cultural meaning in the materiality of the work.