Kadhim Haidar (Iraqi, b. 1932)

The focus of Kadim Haidar's work is morality and tragedy. Influenced by cubism, his style is marked for their simplicity of subject and depiction. From the mid-1960s his work has been historical events of such as Battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, and its impact on the Iraqi people. For Haidar, religious inspiration comes through a sense of tragedy, expressed in signs and symbols through his paintings. His compositions are full of theatrical imagery, with surreal imaginative perspectives infused with folklore motifs.