Bekaa Valley Peasants by American Lebanese Awareness Association

NEW WORLD LEADERS

Drawings

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

More than 300 plates

PUBLISHED IN GREAT BRITAIN

Drawings

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants More than 300 plates

Published in Great Britain

Author of:

PROBLEMS OF MODERN ART, 1968 SPELLING THE THOUGHT, first edition 1994, second edition 2003 MONEY AND INFLATION ORIGINAL TREATISE, first edition 2001 WEALTH OF THE PEOPLE, first edition 2006 ECONOMIC CRISIS SOLUTION, first edition 2009

Table of Contents Acknowledgements..................................................................................... i Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants ............................................................1 BEKAA VALLEY OF LEBANON SOURCE OF INSPIRATION ..................................... 1 BROAD THEME REQUIRED IN FACE OF TRIVIALITY .............................................. 3 ARE THESE DRAWINGS JUST ABOUT RECORDING PEASANT LIFE?................... 5 ASCENT OF DRAWING FROM SKETCH TO INDEPENDENT ART ........................... 7 LACK OF CLARITY IN PERCEIVING THE CONCEPT DRAWING ........................... 10 ART IS THE LAST RESORT IF MORAL LAWS COLLAPSE ....................................... 12

Biography ...................................................................................................15 Chronology of Accomplishments ....................................................................................... 16

Plates ...........................................................................................................17 Tribute to beloved people ......................................................................19 Bekaa Peasants in Classical Style........................................................79 Scenes from daily life in the field .......................................................123 Geometrical abstractions with figurative groups ..............................153 Fury and protest..................................................................................165 Landscapes from Bekaa and other Lebanese Areas ..........................179

First published in Great Britain in 2011

Email: falkach@yahoo.com

Acknowledgements This book was made possible with the encouragement of my family and many friends who, like me, believed that this form of art should be introduced to a wider public. Many thanks to all of them. My special gratitude goes to my son Melhem who made this wish come true by designing and implementing the layout of the book. I am also thankful to my daughter Reda Khoueiri for editing the book.

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants BEKAA VALLEY OF LEBANON SOURCE OF INSPIRATION This book is meant to introduce a selection of the many drawings I produced over the years of the peasants of the Bekaa Valley, especially the drawings I produced before I was compelled to leave my country Lebanon in 1983.

Several motives are behind the decision to publish this book.

It is

primarily meant to pay tribute to this category of people in general, that constitutes the foundation of a healthy society, and to satisfy the interest of those who love this art because it reminds them of their ancestry and their noble roots, and affirms their relationship with the land they lived, or still live on. It also aims to encourage new generations of intellectuals, especially young artists, to scoop up from this rich source of inspiration important virtues essential for art. At the same time, this book provides an opportunity to draw some useful conclusions in an attempt to contribute to the improvement of art of drawing in general, and for some countries, where this art is still in a developing stage, to try to promote and protect it.

Bekaa Valley of Lebanon is a fertile arable land about 120 Km in length and 16 Km in average width, once considered by the Roman Empire to be a huge reservoir of grain. It constitutes about 20% of the total area of Lebanon and is very valuable because it is able to provide it with economic security, particularly in difficult times, and therefore contributes a great deal to the viability and stability of the country. In addition to its agrarian 1

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

importance, Bekaa is a large source of good men and women who play an important role in different sectors of the country, and the direct cause of the genesis of the city of Zahle, capital of Bekaa, as well as the city of Baalbek and many other towns and villages.

emphasize

importance

the this

valley to explain why I dedicated a big part of my artistic activity to it and to the people who live on it. After all, this is the place where I was born

and

spent

The artist on the roof of his paternal house in Houch

youth and I have a

Al-Omara Zahle in the middle of the Bekaa. Picture

natural attachment to

taken after an absence of about three decades

it, this is also where my parents and ancestors lived and played an immaculate role inside the local agrarian community for a long period of time. I was lucky to be born in that environment because this opportunity had a marking impact on my intellectual activity and I treasured it all my life.

Like all peasants of the world, Bekaa Valley peasants are peaceful and loving as their generous land spares them from any intent for aggression. Their work, associated with giving, is full of joy and excitement; their mind reflects the beauty of the universe because they are always absorbed by what the seasons bring them: the clear or cloudy sky, the rain, the gentle breeze, the furious storm, the infinity of colored things; they are

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

busy with the perpetual miraculous growth of their plantations and their precious harvest. This intimate association with the elements of nature gives them an incomparable spiritual feature. I remember fondly the energy and love that men and women alike put into their work, their optimism, their skill at working together as a group, and I remember their singing, dancing and love of jokesâ&#x20AC;ŚThis is, without doubt, a healthy society worth to look carefully into and learn from. BROAD THEME REQUIRED IN FACE OF TRIVIALITY The western modern art nowadays breaks many basic rules and conditions that art normally stipulates.

It is obviously facing a serious problem

concerning the theme or the subject, whereas the world is packed with big events

and

social

Sheikh Melhem Al-Kach

dramatic

father of the artist and

transformations that

elder grandson of sheikh Hanna who were both a

could

serve

inspiration.

source of inspiration for

This

the artist

disparity between an astonishing

reality

and an art that is superficial

and

insignificant in its theme, is the result of commercial motivation, and the resulting triviality is spreading everywhere due to the expansion of the art market. Those who exploit art commercially are determined to minimize and sometimes ridicule the subject on which a painting is based, whilst the subject is the fundamental justification of any painting and any work of art, because without an interesting subject there will be no message and therefore the spectator will be confused and lost. Art dealers are able to 3

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disregard esthetic principles and replace them with judgments based purely on demagogy in order to have a free hand in manipulating the market.

To sum it up I say: excellence is no longer measured by long established criteria; instead the judgment is nowadays dependant on the people who control the market and impose on the buyer their own value system when it comes to the evaluation of a work of art.

On the other hand there are no more avenues for the artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; survival other than the art market. While in the past commissions ordered by wealthy privates, or governments or big institutions were the principal source of living for the artists, all those promoters are now polarized by the same market and are forced to abandon any initiative that could help, and to obey instead what the market dictates.

I took notice early on of this unpleasant situation and found myself left with a serious question: if I refuse the ideas in vogue imposed by the market, what would the alternative be? fortunately because I was already attracted by the subject of peasant life with all the variety and details so familiar to me, it did not take me too long to make up my mind and impatiently started selecting from that abundant source of inspiration the many situations we find in peasant life. Surprisingly, even my early works were kindly received by both the public and the media, if not because of my excellence, more so because of my attitude and my courage since the public himself was fed up with what was offered to him. Here I quote Victor Hakim a senior art critic who reflects the opinion of the media, in his comment about this work, he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;No other artist before

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Fawzi Al-Kach had thought to praise the wise agrarian of the Haut Plateau of the Bekaa, our national granary. The Plateau is represented in its social and spiritual reality with a style that reflects the vivid reality” Victor Hakim (La Revue du Liban). (The text in french : “Aucun peintre avant Fawzi Al-Kach n’avait songe a chanter la sage agraire du Haut plateau de la Bekaa, notre grenier national. Le plateau est représenté dans sa réalité sociale et spirituelle en un style reflétant la réalité vivante”).

Today I feel truly happy and lucky to have produced a good number of these scenes with genuine content, and I feel humbled by the good reception of my compatriots to what I have done at that time.

A number of lessons can be learned from this experience, among them, that it is possible to defy the state of immobility of the subject that endangered art by rendering it insignificant and inefficient, and to mobilize the public so that he can give his help in order to create a healthy normal art originating from the real source of all intellectual activities which is the vivid real life whatever it might be and not necessarily agrarian life only. ARE THESE DRAWINGS JUST ABOUT RECORDING PEASANT LIFE? My intention from these drawings was to show the attitude of those peasants in facing the reality with the modest means they possess; if they accept the challenge or they capitulate or revolt against what is after all an opportunity to survive in spite of the difficulties this kind of life imposes on them. I testify that those peasants are driven by courage and optimism and are attached to their land in spite of the obstacles they have 5

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

to overcome; in fact they always run short of water to irrigate their plantation, they always face the problem of marketing their product, they never feel protected by the government in case of a disaster or any difficulty, they are systematically short of capital and they borrow at phenomenal interest rates that make their business an absurd activity. But still they have lived on this land for a long time and it was consistently flourishing and productive with their perseverance and attachment to it.

My mission as an artist was to show this attitude in a convincing direct way as usually happens in other forms of art such as good theatre or novels. Therefore every line should be an esthetic support to the idea in question and should reflect the spirit of the subject it is expressing. Also the chosen themes and symbols should be indicative and convincing in conveying the message to the viewer: a proud horseman on his trotting horse expresses his delight, a mother suckling her baby expresses her joy at nurturing her newborn, an old man leaning on a sack to rest relays his gratification for this moment of peace … All those individuals testify to their contentment in that world where they are sovereign.

It is a

confident handshake with nature showing satisfaction in spite of life’s pressure.

Another theme addressed in many scenes testifies to the acceptance of the other inside that society in order to form a healthy homogenous group. It depicts the way those peasants cooperate, the way they help each other, the way they respond to each other’s attitude and actions…A girl offering water to a thirsty old man, an exhausted women helped by her friends, a woman offering some sweets to a guest, a group having a casual

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

breakfastâ&#x20AC;Ś These perpetual scenes of entente and affinity are eloquent statements about the possibility of a happy social life.

Similarly portrayed is the peasantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reaction to unexpected harm; they express their anger and pain in a spontaneous innocent way. My drawings show in a precise sincere manner their feeling in such situations in the form of a loud cry symbolizing a big protest. Those peasants experience the moments of disequilibrium with a totally unwelcoming statement and with no place for compromise. After reviewing other statements, theirs seems to be the most efficient and the most convincing.

I draw every scene several times hoping to find the best possible expression by slightly changing the angle of view or the gesture of the individuals to make these extremely beautiful scenes look their best. This is one way to explain what I mean by saying below that drawing can also be an independent art with special finality.

These statements given by peasants about the possibility of a happy social life based on genuine freedom and natural collaboration belies what is happening inside certain cruel systems nowadays based on inequality, oppression and demagogy, as if this is the only option humanity has. And it is important to find out why we relinquished the grace of that beautiful social life we once acquired, and what we can do to regain that precious achievement. ASCENT OF DRAWING FROM SKETCH TO INDEPENDENT ART These drawings were first meant to be a normal preparatory work for my paintings like every artist does as he explores new ideas or when he wants 7

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

to remember places or faces or gestures etc. Drawing in this fashion was and still is of a big importance for artists in general. But at a certain stage in my career I found myself concentrating unconsciously on drawing as a separate activity and as an independent art with different esthetic and

A crowd of visitors at an art exhibition by Al-Kach about "Bekaa Valley Peasants" hosted by the Cultural Centre of Germany attached to the German Embassy in Beirut in 1974

different

artistic

motivation and in parallel with my colored work that has its own characteristics and flavor. That was not a kind of dualism, nor a sign of uncertainty about the right path to follow, since I consistently

produced

paintings with different motivation and different feeling.

In reality this kind of drawing was a new window to look across at things. It was an art satisfied by itself and taking the full responsibility to please 8

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

and send a clear artistic message. I found this approach very useful for artists for many reasons. It gives the artist another means to express his feelings, and in some situations it may prove to be the right tool for it.

For Chinese and other far Eastern artists, drawing as a special means of art was always an artistic tool to express historic events or details about intimate daily life or to show the beauty of nature with all its variety, as they excelled in drawing animals real and mythological, and they often reached a high level of expertise in that art.

In contrast, European artists who reached in the art of painting the highest degree of mastery, always unknowingly denied to drawing, to be another artistic option that can be used independently in order to fully satisfy an artistic ambition, or they unintentionally overlooked it and missed the opportunity to excel in it. They generally used drawing for preliminary work needed to help secure that mastery in painting. In fact they used it to prepare for large paintings through sketches and studies to avoid any regrettable mistakes, and many times to capture the general idea of a large composition or as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;aide memoireâ&#x20AC;? etcâ&#x20AC;Ś. Through these functions of art of drawing, artists have left us many exquisite sketches like the ones by Leonardo De Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Durer, and especially Rembrandt in his etchings as well as many others such as Delacroix and Renoir. But very little was produced as independent artistic work with a distinguished style that became famous by itself and rose to an equal level as the art of painting.

Thus rises under these circumstances this paradox between East and West that is not easy to understand. It would be helpful to have an

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

intellectual rapprochement between the two sides concerning a very popular activity such as art. It is a necessity to minimize the disparity and create a common ground for working together in this important intellectual subject. LACK OF CLARITY IN PERCEIVING THE CONCEPT DRAWING Maybe the reason behind the Western artists’ uncertain attitude towards the concept “drawing” is that they never developed a clear and firm perception “Land and Men”

Indeed

name of a book by art

it. after

critic Hani Abi-Saleh

following Perugino’s

about a collection of

way

and

affirming

paintings from Bekaa valley by Al-Kach

linier

published in 1974

respecting the

discipline

established by some predecessors, Raphael

surpassed

this limitation and started interfering in tones inside the painted area. Later Ingres accused Delacroix of messing with drawing because he doesn’t respect the lines in his paintings, the principle we just mentioned. But if we look carefully, lines must be virtual rather than real, the same way Vermeer perceived it, for this reason this traditional argument in its physical pictorial meaning about lines seams to be incorrect and ill founded.

This disagreement became clearer when impressionists abandoned totally visual lines claiming that in nature we don’t see lines. Still Renoir had a more careful outlook than the rest of the group although he was for many 10

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

the leader of impressionists.

Even Monet, who was subject to many

criticisms because sometimes he went too far in abandoning drawing in his painting, was not consistent in his attitude.

Truthfully this discussion was ill founded by both parties: those who insist on lines and others who ignored them, since drawing is not about the lines as such but about whether the object is well represented with the help of these lines which cannot be a separate concept from the object itself.

This means object and drawing are two expressions of one single reality which is objective figural representation. With this intrinsic tie between the two concepts, drawing becomes a general reality that includes monochrome and polychrome works and both should be called drawing in technical and philosophical terms.

I imagine that if this perception had been the old master perception, the state of art would have been totally different and art would have been protected from excessive disoriented freedom as a result of the uncertainty in understanding the concept drawing.

However the short experience of the Europeans in using drawing, and their quick transition to painting could be the reason behind the missed opportunity to use drawing as an independent medium of art and, before that, the reason behind the uncertainty about the reality of drawing which led art to the state of chaos that it is in today. This is exactly the opposite of what happened to the Chinese who by relying on drawing as an art since the 4th century AD after an early long experience, took their time to excel in this field, and it became difficult for them to cope with the art of

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

painting in the advanced European way even after they were introduced to it in the 18th century during Emperor Châ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ien-lung reign. ART IS THE LAST RESORT IF MORAL LAWS COLLAPSE There is no doubt that love of beauty is a deep elementary tendency in the human being and it is meant to support survival tendency to make it Enthusiastic crowd at the opening of one of the exhibitions by Al-Kach at GAB Centre in Beirut in 1980

significant and relevant. In fact by loving beautiful things that attract us we become more attached to this world and interested to enjoy living. This is a universal principle that is at the base of our existence as human beings.

Consequently, the will to create beautiful things or to fight ugliness also serves our attachment to life. There is no doubt that the battle for beauty is a battle for survival.

Thus, when we see that many achievements accomplished over the centuries by great leaders and generations of militants for the benefit of humanity to safeguard our kind, have been degraded and abused, we 12

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

realize that there is a lot of work required from good artists in order to give back some luster to noble ideas with â&#x20AC;&#x153;beautyâ&#x20AC;? as guideline.

final

artists small

message

for

belonging

countries

that

their role is a unique one, given the critical time

their

nations

might be experiencing. We

all

realize

unfortunately, that the endurance countries

all

nowadays

The artist prepares for his 1991 exhibition at the Municipal Library in Bath, U.K.

relies solely on their personal power after the decline of international institutions originally created to insure worldwide security with the help of international laws. The independence and sovereignty of small countries are especially threatened and, in fact, there is rarely one in this category that is not suffering from this predicament. Of course this problem is universal and tough to solve, but it urgently requires a solution at the highest level even if such solution is currently non existent.

Still, artists in these small countries could make a difference by producing a kind of art that gains the respect of the world to the point that they may form with their art an intellectual umbrella to the country where they belong.

F. Al- Kach

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Biography Fawzi Al-Kach was born in Zahle, Lebanon in 1933. He grew up as the oldest of 6 siblings in a well respected family of land owners going back several generations. In his early years he was surrounded by a simple farming community steeped in the traditional values of self reliance and hard work. This humbling upbringing left an impression on Fawzi that would influence his art and writings for years to come.

Driven by a strong love for literature, language and the intellectual curiosity and expression that can be derived from them, Fawzi pursued a career as a professor of Arabic language, literature and philosophy at the prestigious International Schools of Choueifat University Preparatory. This career of more than 3 decades was accompanied by a personal pursuit in the areas of art and literature.

Over the years, Fawzi produced a steady flow of art exhibitions and books. In his art whether in oil, water color or ink, he always maintained a strong connection to people and earth. Fawzi extended the impressionistic style into his own form of artistic expression by using a bold and daring approach to color and movement.

As a writer, Fawzi covered a wide spectrum of subjects, including poetry, art critique, political commentary and socio-economic analysis. In all areas, Fawzi dared to challenge conventional thought and pre-established opinion by re-examining all the underlying accepted premises. This is proving particularly useful in the new global environment we live in.

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Chronology of Accomplishments 1968 - Published book "The Problems of Modern Art" 1968 - Recipient of Said Akl Prize for the book "The Problems of Modern Art" 1969 - Art exhibition at Carlton Hotel 1970 - Elected Vice President of the Lebanese Association of Artists 1971 - Wrote "Mice and Men of Society" 1971 - Art exhibition at Hotel Carlton "Paintings & Sketches" 1973 - Art exhibition in Zahle by civic sponsorship 1974 - Art exhibition "Men & Earth" at Goethe Institute – The German Cultural Center in Beirut 1974 - Subject of the book "Men & Earth" by art critic Abi Saleh 1978 - Art exhibition at Gab Center "Equality and Inequality" 1979 - Wrote “The Arabic Alphabet for Spelling the Thought” 1980 - Art exhibition at Gab Center 1980 - Art exhibition at Zahle sponsored by The Youth Center 1982 - Art exhibition at Gab Center 1991 - Art exhibition at the Municipal Library in Bath, England 1994 - Published "Spelling the Thought" 2001 - Published "Money & Inflation" 2006 - Published "Wealth of the People and Beyond" 2009 - Published "Economic Crisis Solution & Global Industrial Revolution"

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Plates

1. Tribute to beloved people 2. Bekaa Peasants in classical style 3. Scenes from daily life in the field 4. Geometrical abstractions with figurative groups 5. Fury and protest 6. Landscapes from Bekaa and other Lebanese areas

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Tribute to beloved people

Self portrait

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A bending woman

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Young peasant eating

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two women having a meal

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman carrying a jar with a child

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Peasant leaning on a bag

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A young boy holding a jar

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Resting woman

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A peasant holding her child

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Woman leaning on a bag

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Peasant entertaining a guest

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A young boy running to his mother

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A boy picking food from a tray

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Women carrying a tray of food

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Peasant in the field carrying a parcel, a horse in the background

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Mother and child

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Woman holding a plate

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Conversation under a tree

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Conversation, a woman leaning on a tree

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Peasant dredging the earth with a fork

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Two riders on a horse

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Women praying to God

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Peasant at work

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Walking peasant and a rider heading to the village

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Conversation, a woman with a plate

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A man with a shovel, a woman holding a plate

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Young man drinking water, a woman filling a bag

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A woman leaning on a bag, another picking fruit

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A peasant holding a tray of fruit

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Feet of walking woman

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A boy leaning on his hand

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A peasant carrying a jar

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Two women filling a bag

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A man leaning on his hand, a woman filling her jar from the fountain and other

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A woman carrying a parcel and a house on the horizon

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A woman walking beside her donkey

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Resting woman in the shade of a tree and a cavalier

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A walking peasant, a cavalier

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A house wife and a guest

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A woman carrying some vegetable in a tied sack on her waist

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Peasant with donkey

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Peasant filling a bag

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A woman with a parcel on her head and a child

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Woman opening a bag

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Peasant carrying a jar walking behind her donkey

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Prayer of a young woman

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A woman carrying a plate

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Woman offering some food to a guest

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Woman filling a bag of vegetable

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Mother suckling a baby

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Peasant with a plate

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Farmer carrying a sack followed by a woman

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Peasant and her donkey carrying a bag

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A farmer strewing seeds

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Mother walking with child

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Worker napping on sack

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Mother nursing child

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Workers resting

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Mother and child

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Bekaa Peasants in Classical Style

Mother and Child

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A worker on his way to the field

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A peasant leaning on a sack

A worker steering his animal

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Woman carrying a jar on her head

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Figure representing Lebanese people asking for an end to the conflict. (This subject was repeated four times with slight differences)

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A house wife grinding grain with a hand mill

A woman reading

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Figure representing Lebanese people asking for an end to the conflict. (This subject was repeated four times with slight differences)

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A worker filling a bag

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A young woman offering water to a young man

Packer and his mule

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A boy carrying a food parcel

Young peasant carrying a bag

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Two peasants having a casual meal, familiar scene

Workers doing various activities

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman carrying a jar on her head

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Peasant carrying a parcel of food and a stick

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Figure representing Lebanese people asking for an end to the conflict. (This subject was repeated four times with slight differences)

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman carrying a large vessel and a basket

A child resting in his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arms

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Composition of a group of horses

Scene of horses

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman carrying a jar and a parcel of food

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Seated peasant

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A sad woman

A horse drinking from a rivulet

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Studies of horses

A woman pulling her donkey

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Young woman offering coffee

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Stumbling horse

Old woman kneading dough

100

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A packer and a mule Woman and child on a horse

A tumbling horse and horseman

101

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Studies of landscapes and seated women

Different scenes of mother and child

102

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Two young men wrestling in the traditional friendly way

103

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Three couples performing folk dancing

Tired woman leaning on a bag

104

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Ashwick Hall, a school in England belonging to SABIS where the artist stayed for 18 years from 1983 to 2001

105

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Broken jar and other studies of mother and child

The animal as vehicle of transportation, different scenes

106

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English young woman having a hot drink

107

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A study of a woman filling a bag and a man on his horse

Different scenes from daily life in the field

108

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Figure representing Lebanese people asking for an end to the conflict. (This subject was repeated four times with slight differences)

109

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Young woman entertaining a guest

110

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Return from the field

Different scenes of traveling

111

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A man clapping to stir up a dancer

112

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The stick to lean on, to hit, to cook, to warmâ&#x20AC;Ś

A tiller behind oxen

113

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A woman in a traditional dress

114

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Falling water and two feet

115

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Two women filling a large bag

116

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Old man leaning on his stick

117

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Study of two women doing some routine work and a fallen sack of potato on the ground

118

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A dancer and a man beating a drum

Three dancers and a man playing the flute

119

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Enthusiastic dancing couple

120

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A man lifting a heavy parcel and a donkey

121

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A woman dancing to flute music

122

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Scenes from daily life in the field

Three horses in a field

123

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A traveler passing by a woman working in the field Two women eating, others working Bag and jar, a cavalier riding his horse

124

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A quick chat between two peasants going in opposite directions A man talking to a woman another working on the other side of the road

125

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A worker dredging the earth with a fork, a woman manipulating a sack A worker a woman some birds over a tree A farmer strewing seeds

126

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A tiller slitting the earth and a woman planting A woman pouring out the water to another woman Peasant carrying a jar across the field, a horse in the other side of the road

127

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two women filling a bag

128

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A packer behind a mule carrying a travelling bag A man and a woman carrying sacks

129

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A worker behind his oxen and a peasant A worker tilling the earth followed by a peasant throwing seeds

130

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two peasants in their way to the work Cavalier on his horse accompanying a peasant A woman offering water to another laying in the shade of a tree

131

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Peasants in their way to work Two sacks in a landscape

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Workers picking the grapes A packer laying a bag on the back of his donkey Conversation about the weather

133

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman eating, a house in perspective A woman eating Peasant picking straw

134

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two peasants eating, another in the field A peasant carrying a sac, a woman in the middle of the field Sacks and a jar in the front of a landscape

135

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

One peasant holding a shovel another riding a horse A woman carrying a parcel and a traveler on his horse Two peasants one holding a bag another rushing toward two grazing animals

136

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A worker and a peasant throwing the cedes A scene of working peasants with a house on the horizon

137

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A farmer and a woman behind him Woman and child, a traveler on his horse

138

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Group of workers picking corn One woman picking an ear of corn

139

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Peasants picking vegetables A woman filling her jar from a fountain

140

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Workers in the field and a carriage A group of workers and a carriage in the depth Two workers dredging the earth and a carriage

141

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A scene including a number of peasants doing different works A woman leaning on a bag another on her donkey a third one inside the plantation Two workers, a carriage and a village in the horizon

142

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Four scenes of people performing familiar activities

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Four figures in different situations

144

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A sleeping woman another one eating, a man going to work and another dredging the field

145

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two woman filling a bag and others doing different activities

146

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A cavalier riding his horse a mother cuddling her baby

147

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A peasant destroying parasite herbs, two other chatting a third one holding her baby and a reclining one

148

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Theatre and players Plate 1

149

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Theatre and players Plate 2

150

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Theatre and players Plate 3

151

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Theatre and players Plate 4

152

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Geometrical abstractions with figurative groups

A woman riddling another filling a vessel

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Peasant pulling a bag

154

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A worker smashing stones

155

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Group of peasants heading to the field

156

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Peasants filling a bag

157

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two women filling a bag

158

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Peasant steering a donkey

159

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman pulling a bag, a home in the background

160

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Two peasants and an animal

161

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Group of peasants eating

162

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A man and a woman on a donkey

163

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman holding a bunch of straw

164

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Fury and protest

A terrified woman with a burning home

165

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Mother and child

166

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A woman displaying the body of her young child

167

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A man showing his dismay, one person on the floor

168

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A person walking in the tempest

169

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A terrified woman

170

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A young boy covering his face of fear

171

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A youngster expressing dismay

172

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Help and consolation

173

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A man running with injured child

174

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Group of cavaliers

175

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

A mother grieving over her child

176

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Group of cavaliers

177

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Exhausted woman filling a bag

178

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

Landscapes from Bekaa and other Lebanese Areas

179

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

180

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

181

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

182

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

183

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

185

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

189

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

190

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

191

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

193

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

194

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

195

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

196

Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

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Lebanese Bekaa Valley Peasants

216

Al-Kach Drawings

Bekaa Valley Peasants