In Renée, Guirguis honours his muse and lifetime companion. And when Guirguis is with Renée, nothing else matters.
It is not far fetched to draw the analogy that Guirguis Lotfy is to Egyptian visual arts what Salah Jahin (1930-1986) is to Egyptian poetry. Both celebrate Egypt's cultural fabric while not shying away from its shortcomings. Tirelessly,
Lotfy depicts our feasts, celebrations, rituals and traditions - some still practiced today, others long
forgotten. Pharaonic, Islamic or Coptic, his stunning canvases offer a personal take on these little moments of bonding and shared history or on some trivial and mundane scenes with ordinary people. Describing his artistic process as literally looking out his window and painting what he sees, Lotfy shows an indefatigable commitment to his muse and attempts to bring forth both her beauty and contradictions. As he captures the essence of our Egyptian-ness, he reminds us that neither religion nor ideology can tear us apart.
