Abdullatif Al-Smoudi (Syrian 1948- 2005)

Shortly after Syrian artist Fateh Moudarres passed away, Abdullatif Al- Smoudi painted this profile portrait in memory of one of his most inspirational professors and much admired artist and friend, culminating in this rare work. For an artist whose style is recognized by the use of symbols, decorative motifs and highly charged tapestry of abstractions throughout most of his body of work, this is a very unique attempt to do a portrait in his own distinct style. Here, Moudarres is portrayed like a Roman king.

Fateh Moudarres served as a key inspirational figure to a whole generation of Syrian artists after his return from Italy in the late 1950s, especially after taking a teaching role at the newly opened Faculty of Fine Art in Damascus in the early 1960s. Although Al-Smoudi left Syria for the Gulf, his relationship with Moudarres remained strong throughout the years and he regarded him as a father figure of the Syrian art scene.