“The City” (14-28 September), Amr Eissa’s new exhibition of some thirty oil on canvas and watercolour on paper paintings. It’s a theme with a long history, and some of the impressionist pieces on show may have been inspired by Camille Pissaro paintings such as The Boulevard Montmartre at Night. But Eissa’s cityscapes and landscapes are his own unique creations. Most depict Cairo, with some drawing inspiration from other places such as Gharb Suhail near Aswan. As in other work by Eissa, yellow dominates an otherwise balanced palette, symbolising the power and joy of the sun.
A commerce graduate, Eissa never joined painting workshops or courses, choosing to learn all by himself. He cites the renowned artist Mohamed Abla as a mentor, saying he learned from Abla’s constantly changing style. He also cites his experience as a cartoonist for, among other newspapers, Daily New Egypt and Al-Masri Al-Yom. He began to show his work in group exhibitions including at the Cairo Atelier in 2012, and he decided to dedicate himself to art full-time in 2017. It hasn’t been easy, he says: “There were moments of anger and depression. It was hard to survive whether financially or mentally, but my wife has been a great support.”
Born in 1985 in Al-Sharkeya, Eissa was raised in Al-Salam City and currently lives in Helwan. All three places are densely populated, and this affected his perspective. “This made me close to people and their popular and religious celebrations, such as the moulids, which represent the real pulse of any place.” Both urban and rural sights are depicted. “The borders between those two worlds have diminished,” Eissa says. “Modernisation is more evident in the countryside. Women in rural areas have stopped baking bread at home, for example.”