The Lebanese visual artist, Mansour Al-Habr, created it on the occasion of the ninetieth birthday of the great Lebanese singer FayrouzA collection of digital drawings published yesterday (Wednesday), representing “Lebanon’s ambassador to the stars” based on photos of her, and belonging to the popular art genre (Pop Art).
These drawings are based on pictures of Fairouz, which Al-Haber worked on artistically using the digital technology program. One of these works includes a single shot of the Lebanese star’s face, with 90 small copies of varying colors, corresponding to the number of years of the artist’s life, who was born on November 20, 1934, according to registration records.
He is an American artist of Czech origin Andy Warhol A pioneer of this type of work, he was famous for his drawings of the star in this style Marilyn Monroe.
Al-Habr (54 years old) said that he made these drawings at the request of the Lebanese newspaper “An-Nahar”, which published them on Wednesday in a special file on the occasion of Fayrouz’s ninetieth birthday. She wanted it to be “a humble tribute to the poet of the throat and Lebanon’s spiritual, artistic, cultural and humanitarian ambassador to the world.”
Fairouz’s fame has transcended Lebanon’s borders since the 1950s, attracting fans from all over the world. She is considered one of the last generation of adults in the golden age of Arabic music in the twentieth century.
Using Photoshop
Al-Habr added: “I was asked to make the drawings in the style of Andy Warhol, so I conducted research on pictures of Fayrouz’s face and began to perform an artistic synthesis of them using Photoshop, and arranged the faces to reach the work’s goal.”
Al-Habr, who teaches traditional drawing at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA), noted that digital work in modern art has become “very common,” noting that “the computer has become an artistic tool, like a brush or something else.”
Al-Habr added: “In my search for pictures of Fayrouz’s face, I was keen to ensure that there was a lot of light and clarity, and to choose shots in which the pose was beautiful and expressed violence.”
He explained that he used “the strong, clear colors that suit Fairouz’s face,” noting that “the turquoise color dominates the faces and the background,” in line with the artistic name “Fayrouz” given by the music director of the Lebanese Radio, Halim Al-Roumi, at the end of the 1940s, to the talented young woman, Nouhad Haddad.
In his digital drawings, Al Haber used other colors, “such as orange and blue, which symbolize night, and red, which symbolizes warmth and clear sound.”
Although Fairouz has completely moved away from the spotlight for years and has stopped giving concerts, her exceptional voice, recognized by international experts, still accompanies millions of people around the world. She is the one who sang for love, homeland, freedom and values.
Fayrouz formed with musical composers The brothers Assi and Mansour Rahbani Starting in the early 1950s, a trio whose artistic output became an integral part of Lebanon’s heritage, through a wide range of musical, theatrical and cinematic works that combined Eastern melodies, Lebanese folklore and Western melodies.