The game of abstraction and the love of life Playing is a way of enjoying life as being a human activity that is devoid of purpose. Abstraction is a form of free play in the art of photography, where the artist is liberated from subtle reality and its compulsory mandates. However, this play is driven by the imagination of the artist, which is filled with thousands of pictures and experiences that make him decide when the game is completed and raise his hand away from the painting. This free play has its good results for those who embrace the values of simplicity and spontaneity and give priority to expression as a form of contact with the soul and the freedom of emotion without imposing preconceived patterns. Within the experience of the artist Hussein El-Shaboury, we realise that he practises the game of abstraction with the heart of a life-loving taleteller and does not give up details, even in the most abstract work of art. We discover that those abstracts provided by El-Shaboury are views of reality, as they are similar to the bird’s-eye scenes of abandoned cities living in an enjoyable manner and retain the vital tone of the formation and passage to the world of existence. His extraordinary ability as a photographer is clear in how he is able to tighten all those changes in the heart of the painting and take it to a point of balance, and despite the difficulty of doing this, the imagination of the artist that is charged with images and fond of art makes him possess the crucial password that sets all such subtraction on the value platform.

The expert eye of artist Hussein El-Shaboury has kept a rare awareness of thousands of exquisite images through his passion for the acquisition of works of art and through his work as one of the pioneers of exhibition art in Egypt, which exposed him to captivating artistic treasures. This rich visual memory may have contributed to the apparent fluency in his works, where the visions intensify with a variety and multiplicity in their paths. Visual solutions continue so that artist Hussein El-Shaboury presents a new and important experience in Bastille art, which was previously often reduced to real experiences, portrait art, and scenery. Here, Hussein El-Shaboury presents through the “Bastille” art an abstract experience that takes its place amid the excellence experiences in visual art; this is an approach of art that is capable of historical continuity as every time it introduces a changing new fragrance to the artist who practiced his love of free play and life.

Dr. Amal Nasr
6th of December 2018

About the Artist

An Egyptian painter, was born in the beautiful city of Alexandria in 1945 and studied at the University of Alexandria’s Faculty of Fine Art. Graduating with a specialisation in Interior Design, Dr. Shabouri continued his academic path and sought his postgraduate studies, graduating with a PhD in 1982.  His academic journey has led him to become a professor of Interior Design in the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria. Furthermore, he has practised his love for the craft in various institutions and positions; earning him the prestigious title of President of the Syndicate of Fine Artists in Alexandria.