Loss

Ismael Shammout, a leading Palestinian modern artist, used symbols of Palestinian tradition and culture to construct a national visual narrative. He has consistently denounced the consequences of the endless atrocities that have taken place in Occupied Palestine since the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948. As in this work, the painter explored recurring themes of nostalgia, national struggle, attachment to the land and its loss.

Playing with dark and light tones, Shammout depicts an outdoor scene in what appears to be a refugee camp in a desert zone. The displaced people live in tents and try to survive with whatever food and supplies they can find. At the centre of the composition, a woman dressed in a traditional colourful garment with Palestinian embroidery (tatriz) holds her child and covers him with her long white veil as a sign of protection. Between fear and hope, a deep emotional tension emanates from the two figures. While the child sleeps tenderly on his mother's chest, she looks completely distraught and worried about the future of the next generation of Palestinians forced into exile.