Shafic Abboud

Shafic Abboud was from a Lebanese Arab Modern culture. The stories of his grandmother, who was the village’s story-teller, left an indelible mark on him, at a very early age. He was immersed in the very colorful popular culture of the villages of Mount Lebanon and was familiar with the paintings of the traveling story-tellers.

The artist’s eye was also strongly influenced by Byzantine icons and traditions from his church. These rites celebrate more the Resurrection and Transfiguration of Christ, rather than the Passion and the Saviour’s sufferings which the Roman Catholic tradition and liturgy glorify. The writings, debates, ideals, hopes and battles characterizing the Arab Nahda, a modernist and anti-clerical Renaissance which was initially driven by 19th century Lebanese writers and thinkers, were to later have a significant impact on Abboud’s intellectual education.