Friday, February 21, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Face the Ancestors: Fayum Portraits ... #EgyptRemembers
#EgyptRemembers
*********************************************************
*********************************************************
********************************************
FACE the Ancestors:
............ Fayum Portraits
By
Wael Nawara
Artistic Discontinuity
Humanity has witnessed a sad interruption in the progress of human sciences and arts starting around the forth century A.D. This gap of almost a thousand years mainly started as a result of the restrictive nature of the Roman or Byzantine Empire which ruled much of the world in the middle ages. By the 3rd Century A.D., man was standing on the verge of unlocking the great mysteries of the universe surrounding him. Greco-Egyptian scientists in Alexandria had theorized significant scientific frameworks to mathematics, geometry, physics and astronomy. Philosophy, art, literature, drama and religion had also reached new heights with the marriage of Greek philosophy and the vast body of Egyptian knowledge accumulated and stored by Egyptian monks and scholars over 4,000 years of tedious progress on the banks of the Nile.
The Fayum portraits stand witness to the validity of the artistic side of this argument. The Fayum portraits date back to 1st to 3rd Centuries A.D. They represent a development of the Egyptian funerary tradition which had manifested itself before in wall carvings, masks, ornaments and artifacts found in tombs of ancient Egyptians. But the portraits are so advanced in their artistic style, that can only be compared to paintings of the masters who came 1,500 years later! ''It is not until 15 centuries later, in the faces painted by Titian or Rembrandt's depiction of his own features as he saw them reflected in the mirror, that the same artistry that characterizes many of the anonymous painters of the Fayum is witnessed again,'' Euphrosyne C. Doxiadis, a Greek artist and author of ''The Mysterious Fayum Portraits,'' wrote in an essay in the catalogue accompanying an international show for the Mummy Portraits titled ''Ancient Faces'' in 1997. So, how, when and why did the art of painting stood still, indeed seemed to be "forgotten"?
Sinful Art
I believe that it had to do with restrictive and fanatic religious beliefs of monotheistic religions which soon swept the Middle East, indeed the world, coming out of the Middle East. At first it was the Roman or Byzantine Empire which employed Christianity probably as the only "official religion of the Empire". In 391, Christian Emperor Theodosius I ordered the destruction of all pagan temples, and the Christian Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria complied with this request.
Socrates Scholasticus provides the following account of the destruction of the temples in Alexandria in the fifth book of his Historia Ecclesiastica, written around 440:
" At the solicitation of Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, the Emperor issued an order at this time for the demolition of the heathen temples in that city; commanding also that it should be put in execution under the direction of Theophilus. Seizing this opportunity, Theophilus exerted himself to the utmost to expose the pagan mysteries to contempt."
Colorless Centuries
The effect of this decree which banned the building of temples and the carving of images and sacred hieroglyphs was catastrophic on Egyptian arts which until that moment were connected to Egyptian religions and related rituals. The new religion came with its own set of rituals relating to death restricting Egyptian funerary traditions. The religious hysteria also had some serious implications on the progress of science and arts. Hypatia of Alexandria, daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in Mathematics, Philosophy and science, was assassinated by an angry Christian mob. One day in March 415CE, during the season of Lent, her chariot was waylaid on her route home by a Christian mob. She was stripped naked and dragged through the streets to the newly Christianized Caesareum church and killed. Some reports suggest she was flayed with oyster shells and burned.
Islamic rulers, who governed Egypt soon after the Arab invasion in 639-641 A.D. also took a hostile attitude towards painting of human and animal images. This is why Islamic arts widely employed plants and geometrical shapes, avoiding depiction of human faces and figures to avoid revival of the worship of idols. The world was well into the dark ages. Almost ten colorless centuries had to pass before such art could be revived during the renaissance.
Resurrection of the Last Painter
How did the "last painter" feel, knowing that there are no more apprentices to carry forward this artistic tradition? I can only begin to imagine the tremendous grief of this last talented man, knowing that with his death, his craftsmanship will soon be forgotten. But with the discovery of Fayum Portraits, these painters were summoned from the death and given a new life. The world today recognizes their art and talent some 1,600 years after their death and celebrates their works in major museums around the world. And after centuries of forgetfulness and artistic amnesia, we now pay tribute to those anonymous artists and salute their craft. The works of their "sinful" brushes are now "sacred" artifacts to many art lovers around the world.
The Artists
Back to painters of Fayum Portraits, there has been some controversy on the identity of the artists. Some researchers believe that those artists were Greco-Romans. This is somehow, in my opinion due to racial bias of the historians of the 19th and 20th centuries who adopted a Euro-centrist approach to the origins of classical civilizations and culture. Martin Bernal, in his trilogy, "Black Athena", which might just as well have been titled "Egyptian Athena", describes this bias and ascertains that much of the achievements of these classical civilizations should be credited to the Ancient Egyptians and People of the Levant. Why would Greco-Roman artists be found in such abundance in Fayum of all places? It only makes sense that these artists were Egyptian, and that their art is the natural progress of Egyptian arts depicted on the walls of tombs and temples for several thousands of years.
The Faces
Not only did the painters were Greco-Romans, some historians claim that the persons, the deceased depicted in those portraits also represent Greek settlers in Egypt. Those historians provide their theory that "It is estimated that as much as 30 percent of the population of Fayum was Greek during the Ptolemaic period, with the rest being native Egyptians." But, why would Greeks be concentrated in Fayum of all places, and why would they adopt these funerary traditions evidently Egyptian in origin and spirit? Examining the faces, they appear to be typically Egyptian, faces you would still see today walking the streets of towns and villages of Egypt.
Mummy portraits have been found in all parts of Egypt, but they are especially common in the Fayum area, particularly from Hawara and Antinoopolis and this is why they acquired this common name. "Fayum Portraits" should, therefore, be thought of as a stylistic, rather than a geographic, description [3].
The evidence, however, shows that when the dental morphology [1] of the Roman-period Fayum mummies was compared with that of earlier Egyptian populations, it was found to be "much more closely akin" to that of dynastic Egyptians than to Greeks or other European populations. So much for the subjects of these portraits being Greek! One can start to question the alleged Greek identity of the painters as well!
The Art
In an attempt to downplay the artistic value of these portraits, some analysts suggest that the Portraits were sort of mass produced. That they followed some sort of repetitive "templates" which the artists adapted to the specific faces of the subjects. Although there exists common features between certain portraits, many of the Fayum Portraits discovered, however, show unique captivating features which strike you with the depth of the Character of each person. We cannot imagine how this could have been possible using such mass-production techniques. And even if in some cases such mass-production techniques were used, it can only take place when art is well-developed on the hands of Masters, such that less famous painters can imitate and mass-produce such authentic and genuine artistic advances. But according to Walker [2], "C.A.T. scans of all the complete mummies represented reveal a correspondence of age and, in suitable cases, sex between mummy and image, confirming that the paintings were made at the time of death. In addition, some portraits were painted directly onto the coffin; for example, on a shroud or another part." This further shows that the portraits were in fact individually painted and limits the validity of the mass-production claims.
The dry weather of Egypt undoubtedly helped these paintings to survive centuries of neglect such that we can see them today almost intact and in such excellent condition which allows us to appreciate the art and beauty of these works. Together with the surviving frescoes and objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and tomb frescoes in Macedonia, Fayum portraits are the best preserved paintings from ancient times and are renowned for their remarkable naturalism.
Many museums around the world have fine examples of Fayum mummy portraits on display, notably the British Museum, the Royal Museum of Scotland, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre in Paris.
Oblivious
So, why then are these portraits not famous? How come we never heard about them before in Egypt? I believe that religious sentiments prevented these masterpieces from becoming local heroes at home and subsequently worldwide. The Portraits date back to what is known in Egypt as the "Coptic Period", to approximately mean the time when Egypt was predominantly Christian. This period is viewed with hostility by the authorities which prefer to connect Egypt more with its Islamic, rather than Christian heritage. But this is quite unfair for a number of reasons. First, we have not seen any Christian icons or symbols worn by the subjects. These portraits date back to the period between 1st and 3rd Centuries A.D. Egypt was then divided between old religions such as the Isis Cult, Hermetic traditions, Gnosticism and Christianity. And because of the funerary traditions observed in the mummies, it is unlikely that the subjects were indeed Christians. In fact, the title "Coptic" simply means Egyptian, derived from the Greek word describing Egypt "aiguptios", a word then modified by the Arabs to "Copts" which they used to refer to native Egyptians. On the other hand, until when can we ignore this "Coptic" period? We believe it is time Egyptians make peace with their past in its entirety.
Face the Ancestors
So, here they are, faces of the Ancestors, looking at us from centuries long-past, they are denied their Egyptian Identities by the Europeans, and denied resurrection by their own countrymen. But we believe that they deserve resurrection. They deserve recognition. And if we owe the living respect, we owe nothing to the dead but the truth.
*********************************************************
Wael Nawara
First Published in Turath Magazine
*********************************************************
This Video shows the repetitive faces in question where common features suggest mass-production.
I have no doubt that some form of imitation or mass-production did exist,
but it would not have been possible without the existence of genuine masters.
Also, See This Video
1) Irish JD (2006). "Who were the ancient Egyptians? Dental affinities among Neolithic through postdynastic peoples.". Am J Phys Anthropol 129 (4): 529-43
********************************************
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Is it legal for an Organization to have a "Political Arm"?
People (natural persons) can freely own businesses, donate to charities and political parties. This is one thing. Yet when an ORGANIZATION such as the Muslim Brotherhood owns businesses, yet commands a political party (addition to unions and syndicates etc.) - that is a different thing. An expression often used such as: "Freedom and Justice Party", political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, indicates that:
- The MB organization (which is not subject to any law, commercial or otherwise, or public scrutiny, because it is a secret society) is acting as a holding company, as well as a lobby and many number of things - using facade people and dummy structures to hide its economic interests - from the public -behind
- The MB organization also commands a political party (FJP)
- The laws under which the FJP accepted to work specifically prohibits a company or an NGO or a holding company or any corporate personhood to own (or even donate to) a political party
- By owning companies, political parties, NGOs, etc., the Muslim Brotherhood is by definition a crime organization. Because it is operating systematically outside the realm of the law.
For more discussions:
See these Links
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Future of political Islam: Lessons from Turkey, Egypt
First Published at Al Monitor
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/islam-turkey-egypt-ideology-islamist-law.htmlPolitical Islam from protest to governing
Most Islamist political parties in the Middle East initially emerged as movements calling to apply Sharia and restore the caliphate state. By successfully incorporating religious claims within their agenda, these movements were able to launch powerful critiques against those regimes in the region that were undergoing a growing legitimacy crisis. They were also able to derive support from large segments of society that were frustrated with the corruption, authoritarianism and clientelism of these existing governments.
As protest movements, these Islamist parties never felt the need to develop habits of negotiation and compromise. Yet, their ideological rigidity has become a source of anxiety for many in the region who do not share their vision. The question before us is whether such Islamist political parties will replace secular authoritarian regimes with religious authoritarian ones, or whether they will be willing to become a part of the democratic transformations desperately needed in the region. The Justice and Development Party(AKP) government in Turkey and the short-lived experiment of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt provide us with rich narratives about the future governing prospects of these Islamist political parties. The future stability of countries in the region depend upon the ability of these Islamist political parties to shift from being rigid ideological movements to pragmatic political organizations, as well as upon the existence of other political forces that might assist in steering these political parties in this latter direction.
The AKP government in Turkey
The AKP’s initial success after its first election victory in 2002 was due to its ability to distance itself from the title of “Islamist” and define itself instead as “Muslim democratic,” in addition to its ability to initiate a broader political and economic agenda with democratic reforms at the center and its promise to become a government free of corruption. Such initiatives allowed the AKP government to build alliances with groups and movements that might otherwise have been skeptical of allying with a political party with Islamic credentials.
Until its third election victory in 2011, the AKP government maintained its reformist character by bringing Turkey closer to the European Union, initiating democratic reforms, avoiding populist economic policies in favor of providing sound public policy and removing the army’s tutelage from the political system. Unfortunately, the June 2011 election marked the end of such reformism. After consolidating its power with nearly a majority of 50%, the AKP quickly moved away from its previous pragmatic approach of governing through alliances and emphasized its Islamic credentials by introducing a series of policies directed at what many non-Islamists in Turkey considered to be lifestyle choices, such as alcohol consumption and the cohabitation of university students.
The eruption of protests across the country in the summer of 2013 were a result of the AKP’s increasingly authoritarian governing style. Rather than reading these protests as a public expression of discomfort — and taking the recent corruption charges seriously before declaring them a conspiracy against the government by the rival Gulen movement — the government is currently pushing legislation within parliament that will not only abolish the separation between the judiciary and the executive but which will completely consolidate the judicial and executive powers at the hands of the government. If the AKP is successful in pushing this legislation through parliament, the regime in Turkey will face a serious legitimacy crisis. The AKP is now governing over a society that is highly polarized along cultural and religious lines.
During its reformist stage, the AKP built alliances with the rest of society and derived support from non-Islamists on the basis of its promise of good governance. After deciding to emphasize its Islamist orientation more forcefully since the last election, the AKP has lost its shine as a role model for the rest of the Middle East, now becoming another autocratic government among others plaguing the region for a long time.
Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood
Since 1948, when it was banned by the government following a wave of political assassinations, the Muslim Brotherhood has continued to work underground. Hiding behind legal facades, usually dummy front men who are obedient members of the organization, the Brotherhood has operated a growing network of interlinked businesses, charities, unions and mosques. Despite being an illegal entity, it has continued to recruit members, train militias, make alliances with spin-off terrorist organizations and even participate in the political process.
When the Brotherhood reached power in Egypt, Egyptians realized that the organization placed itself above the law and above Egypt. The Brotherhood enjoyed limited support that was inflated by its strong funding, superior organization and logistics and the fragmented nature of its opponents. However, the Brotherhood quickly moved to control all taps of power in the country according to “Tamkeen,” or the empowerment plan, appropriating thousands of government posts to its members and allies. Releasing convicted terroristsfrom prison and allowing mujahedeen to return to Egypt and make the Sinai Peninsula their safe haven, the Brotherhood also used its militias to attack, torture and kill protesters and journalists and put the supreme constitutional court, newspaper offices, opposition parties’ headquarters and the entire Media City under siege.
Islamist movements participate in national politics and democratic elections, although they neither acknowledge the concept of a nation-state based on a homeland nor the governance of democracy. They believe that any Muslim is a part of the umma, the nation of Islam. The difference between that and a union, such as the European Union, is that the latter is still based on nation-states with defined geographic homelands coming together under a unified government. The caliphate state that Islamists believe in is not based on citizenry of those who live in a specific territory or a homeland but one that is based on faith. Mahdy Akef, the Brotherhood’s former spiritual guide, explained that under the Brotherhood’s rule a Malaysian Muslim can become the president of Egypt, whereas a Christian can’t. The potential result of this is the breakup of a state such as Egypt into a Muslim state and a Christian state, similar to what happened in Sudan. Sayyid Qutb, who influenced the shaping of the Brotherhood ideology, sees homeland as “nothing but a fist of rotten dirt.”
Similarly, the Brotherhood — which claimed it was a “godly” organization and hence stood above the law — and other Islamist movements do not acknowledge that laws should come from the people, as they believe that God has given man legislations set out in the Quran, and that a committee of religious scholars should have the ultimate say in what laws are congruent with the word of God and which ones violate His will according to Sharia. Sharia itself is a huge and unlimited body of interpretations and fatwas including some dating back 1400 years. During the Brotherhood’s short rule of Egypt, they made sure to control the committee drafting the new constitution, including ambiguous articles that could in theory annul the constitution and laws through creating backdoors where “Sharia” may be invoked at will.
Islamists not recognizing the authority of “secular” laws or government take the “Taqiyya” — which allows a follower to lie, deceive or engage in illegal acts — to protect himself, his faith or more often the clandestine Gamaa Islamiya, its secret directives, sources of finance, inner workings and plans. They build a parallel state, a state within the state, which commands their first allegiance. Even after they reach power, regimes dominated by Islamist ideologies are bound to reach a dead end, because they are by conviction in conflict with society, its culture, vital interests and norms.
Future of Islamic parties
Islamist parties very often frame themselves as representing the authentic culture, one that has become corrupted by regimes that have been influenced by outside forces. This is a powerful but false narrative that Islamist parties have used to consolidate their base while in opposition. However, once in power, this same narrative of Islamist parties representing the true authentic culture, has only brought instability, polarization and, inevitably, further authoritarianism.
Middle Eastern societies are not a single monolithic mass of people waiting to discover their cultural essence. They are, instead, complex societies consisting of different ideologies, lifestyles and identities — including different ethnic, religious and cultural identities — with competing interests and objectives. The experiences of the AKP and the Muslim Brotherhood illustrate that Islamist parties have not completed their evolution from being rigid ideological parties, whose sole aim it is to remake their societies in their own image, to pragmatic organizations that are willing to represent and give voice to their followers in a pluralistic political environment.
We know that Islamist parties have their own societal base and will always be part of the political landscape. The nature of their evolution from protest movements to governing parties will play a key role in the future stability of regimes in the region. We have two roads ahead: Islamist parties can either hold on to their rigid ideological base, trying to mold their societies to fit within their singular vision, or they can accept their role as an influential force in a democratic pluralistic regime, within which the rule of law must guarantee the protection of rights for everyone, including Islamists. Only the second alternative provides a road to stability in the region. The first will only bring more destabilization, conflict and authoritarianism.
Read More:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)