Ozpinar, Ceren

University of Brighton Research Portal

Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	1	‘Why	Not	See	Farther	and	Enlarge	the	Visual	Orb’:	Revisiting	Fahrelnissa	Zeid	A	review	of	Fahrelnissa	Zeid:	Painter	of	Inner	Worlds	by	Adila	Laïdi-Hanieh		Published	by	Art/Books,	London,	2017		Ceren	Özpınar			The	last	couple	of	decades	has	seen	the	thriving	rediscovery	of	transnational	women	artists	by	feminist	art	histories.	As	new	research	has	introduced	artistic	practices	from	different	parts	of	the	world	to	wider,	mostly	English-speaking	audiences,	more	transnational	artists	have	entered	the	global	art	world,	capturing	the	attention	of	publishers,	curators	and	collectors.	Consequently,	artists	such	as	Saloua	Raouda	Choucair	(1916–2017)	and	Carmen	Herrera	(b.	1915)	have	had	retrospective	exhibitions	of	their	work	in	the	hotspots	of	the	global	art	world	and	have	been	championed	as	pioneering	artists	of	the	twentieth	century	alongside	fellow	artists	such	as	Georgia	O’Keeffe	(1887–1986)	and	Lee	Krasner	(1908–1984).	The	major	exhibition	of	Fahrelnissa	Zeid	(1901–1991)	organised	by	London’s	Tate	Modern	in	2017,1	which	travelled	to	Berlin	and	Beirut	over	2018,	is	the	latest	instance	of	this	tendency	that	bestows	a	new	and	widespread	viewership	on	the	art	of	this	Turkish	woman	artist.	The	exhibition	strived	to	replace	her	within	the	narratives	of	transnational	abstract	practices	of	mid-twentieth	century	art.	While	the	troubling	‘Eurocentric’	framing	of	the	exhibition	by	the	media	was	not	missed	by	critics,2	the	concurrent	publication	of	Adila	Laïdi-Hanieh’s	monograph,	Fahrelnissa	Zeid:	Painter	of	Inner	Worlds,	undeniably	unfolds	the	life	and	art	of	Zeid	in	ways	that	upset	the	art	historical	narratives,	explicating	her	art	from	an	‘Orientalist’	perspective	in	a	way	quite	disengaged	from	the	artist	herself.		Organised	in	nine	chapters,	the	monograph	traces	the	story	of	the	artist	chronologically	from	her	formative	years	in	the	1920s	to	her	‘late	style’	in	the	1980s,	with	elaborate	descriptions	of	her	style	and	techniques	that	define	and	distinguish	particular	periods	in	her	career.	It	offers	the	reader	an	exclusive	opportunity	to	encounter	the	extensive	range	of	Fahrelnissa	Zeid’s	body	of	work,	drawing	together	the	pieces	from	different	genres	and																																																									1			Tate Modern, London, 13 June–8 October 2017	2   See Yaman Kayabali, ‘Fahrelnissa Zeid and the Problem of Eurocentrism in Art History’, Muftah, https://muftah.org/fahrelnissa-zeid-problem-eurocentrism-art-history/#.WqO9qZMiKRs. For a wider discussion on Zeid’s work in the global art world, see Sarah Neel-Smith, ‘Fahrelnissa Zeid in the Mega-Museum: Mega-museums and modern artists from the Middle East’, Ibraaz, https://www.ibraaz.org/essays/161 	Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	2	materials,	including	her	paintings,	painted	pebbles,	and	poultry	bones	cast	in	resin	called	paléokrystalos.					The	monograph	makes	expansive	use	of	Zeid’s	family	archive	in	Amman,	in	addition	to	the	book	A	Turkish	Tapestry:	The	Shakirs	of	Istanbul	(1996)	by	Zeid’s	daughter,	the	actress	Şirin	Devrim	(1926–2011),	which	chronicles	the	lives	of	her	mother’s	upper-class	Ottoman	family.	More	importantly,	it	draws	upon	Zeid’s	memoirs,	giving	important	insights	into	her	inner	world	and	her	imaginary	and	mental	state	while	providing	the	readers	with	‘a	revisionist	biography’	(p	7).	Zeid’s	creative	and	social	settings	across	Europe	and	the	Middle	East,	including	some	of	the	global	cities	of	the	century,	such	as	Baghdad,	Berlin,	Istanbul,	London	and	Paris,	are	situated	alongside	some	significant	social	and	political	events	of	the	twentieth	century.	The	demise	of	the	Ottoman	Empire,	the	Second	World	War,	Iraq’s	independence	from	Britain	(1932)	and	the	1958	coup	d’état	in	the	same	country	are	thus	laid	out	in	the	monograph	as	some	of	the	events	that	indicate	if	not	explain	the	notable	transformations	in	Zeid’s	life	and	style.			The	first	two	chapters	detail	Zeid’s	intellectual	formation	between	1901	and	1940.	Although	the	versatile	artistic	interests	of	the	family	members	emerge	as	both	the	provenance	and	offspring	of	Zeid’s	interest	in	art,	these	chapters	place	emphasis	on	her	own	artistic	tenacity	and	her	‘headstrong	and	independent’	spirit	(p	22)	as	the	core	of	her	creative	drive.	This	exact	inner	stimulation	takes	her	to	the	School	of	Fine	Arts	in	Istanbul	in	the	1920s	following	a	rigorous	education	at	selective	secondary	schools	in	Istanbul	during	the	Great	War.	Zeid’s	Moon Drops (detail), 1967, resin, bone and metal, image courtesy of Adila Laïdi-Hanieh and the Fahrelnissa Zeid Archive, Amman Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	3	fascination	with	sea	imagery	is	explored	in	these	chapters,	which,	along	with	the	visions	of	her	first	experience	of	flight,	also	appear	in	the	book	as	underlying	visual	inspirations	for	the	artist’s	abstract	paintings.	Deep-seated	links	between	Zeid’s	art	as	a	mind-intensive	creative	process	and	her	psyche	as	a	chasm	between	her	‘unstoppable’	‘“strong-willed”’	personality	and	‘depressive’	disposition	(pp	45–46),	thus	emerge	as	a	recurring	theme	throughout	the	monograph.	Establishing	this	connection	enables	Laïdi-Hanieh	to	assert	Zeid’s	subjectivity	within	her	oeuvre	‘despite	the	cultural	imperative’	(p	43)	while,	perhaps	not	surprisingly,	adopting	a	psycho-biographical	approach	in	addition	to	her	formal	analysis.	The	artist’s	intrinsic	alignment	with	European	art	and	culture	are	also	explored	in	the	first	chapters	alongside	her	first	infatuations	with	the	canonical	works	of	Western	art	history	and	literature.	The	travels	Zeid	and	her	first	husband	made	to	European	capitals	in	the	1920s	not	only	presented	her	with	the	opportunity	to	experience	European	culture	in	person	but	also	to	continue	her	studies	for	some	time	at	one	of	the	private	art	academies	of	Paris,	the	Académie	Ranson.	The	events	following	her	second	marriage	in	1933	into	Iraqi	royalty	mark	a	new	era	in	the	artist’s	life,	raising	her	to	the	status	of	‘a	diplomat’s	wife	and	royal	princess’	(p	47),	during	which	she	produces	the	first	paintings	in	her	radiant	expressive	style.	Accompanied	with	images	of	Zeid’s	first	watercolours	and	drawings	from	her	sketchbooks,	the	portrayal	of	the	artist	in	these	chapters	is	therefore	comparable	to	a	rite	of	passage	through	which	she	takes	her	first	steps	towards	becoming	an	artist	while	at	the	same	time	discovering	her	new	identities	as	a	wife	and	mother.			Third Class Passengers, 1943, oil on canvas, 130 x 100 cm Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	4		Chapter	three	presents	the	rare	opportunity	of	seeing	the	Istanbul	art	world	in	the	early	1940s	through	the	eyes	of	a	woman	artist.	Zeid’s	decision	to	relocate	herself	to	Istanbul	in	this	period	unfolds	before	her	‘a	world	that	she	“had	not	known	existed	for	her	in	Turkey”’	(p	57),	and	which	gradually	paves	the	way	to	her	recognition	as	a	professional	artist.	This	chapter	elaborates	on	Zeid’s	engagement	with	the	artists’	circle	called	the	D	Group,	whose	members	held	primarily	to	a	Cubist	style	shaped	by	elements	pertinent	to	local	visual	culture.	Tracing	both	the	predicaments	of	joining	a	male-dominated	group	such	as	this	–	Zeid	disagreed	somewhat	with	their	stylistic	and	political	views	–	the	chapter	problematises	the	notion	of	the	‘woman	artist’	embodied	in	Zeid’s	lived	experience,	as	she	would	indeed	be	dismissed	by	her	fellow	members	for	being	a	‘woman	–	a	society	lady’	(p	90).	Yet,	it	also	gives	a	vivid	account	of	Zeid’s	triumphant	first	personal	exhibit	which	was	organised	in	her	Istanbul	flat	in	1945,	and	showcased	her	nudes,	interiors	and	urban	vistas.	The	fact	that	the	flat	was	also	the	meeting	place	for	her	prominent	weekly	salons	is	not	only	evidence	in	the	chapter	for	the	social	and	intellectual	milieu	surrounding	the	artist,	but	it	also	plays	into	Laïdi-Hanieh’s	view	about	the	onset	of	Zeid’s	integration	of	art	into	her	life	that	surfaced	in	this	period,	underpinning	her	hope	to	‘annihilate	the	mother	and	the	wife	in	favour	of	the	artist’	(pp	89–90).	However,	the	portrait	of	the	woman	beyond	the	West	as	an	independent,	modern	secular	artist	deserves	further	consideration.	In	addition	to	running	the	risk	of	reproducing	the	contentious	myth	of	the	(male)	artistic	genius,	this	representation	probes	far	less	into	the	image	of	woman	long	posited	in	Western	imagination	and	complies,	rather,	with	its	progressive	ideals.3		Tracing	Zeid’s	stylistic	development	and	the	track	record	of	exhibitions	across	post-war	London,	New	York	and	Paris	between	1947	and	1957,	chapters	four	and	five	rightly	address	the	question	of	ethnocentric	discourse	in	Western	art	history.	Contrasting	her	reassessment	of	Zeid’s	first	abstract	paintings	with	the	critiques	of	the	period,	and	justifiably	drawing	on	the	opinions	articulated	in	the	artist’s	memoirs,	Laïdi-Hanieh	suggests	a	new	course	for	the	advent	of	the	abstract	in	Zeid’s	body	of	work	and	assigns	new	dates	for	some	of	her	paintings.	Looking	for	‘the	real	origin	of	her	switch	to	abstraction’	(p	112),	these	two	chapters	thus	relocate	her	work	within	her	subjectivity,	‘a	combination	of	inner	perspective	and	outer	vision’	(p	131),	defying	the	readings	that	tie	her	work	with	Byzantine	mosaics	and	Islamic	calligraphy	insofar	as	to	reinforce	the	idea	of	the	‘Oriental’	painter	(pp	129–130).	These	chapters	give	an	account	of	the	interpretations	of	Zeid’s	work,	particularly	by	European	critics,	who	in	judging	her	work	essentially	by	its	formal	resemblance	with	some	of	the	non-Western	artistic	traditions	not	only	demonstrated	the	well-established	interest	for	formal	analysis	in	‘Modern	Art’	but	also	the	tendency	to	see	art	as	an	activity	detached	from	its	creator.	In	this	scenario,	the	cultural	origins	of	the	artist	account	notably	for	the	content	and	the	techniques	in	question	(pp	144–145).	This	outlook	swept	through	modes	of	art	history	writing,	particularly	in	the	countries	going	through	different	stages	of	nation-																																																								3   For a discussion of this, see Ceren Özpınar, ‘Playing Out the “Differences” in “Turkish” Art Historical Narratives’, in Martha Langford, ed, Narratives Unfolding: National Art Histories in an Unfinished World, McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 2017, pp 56–58.  Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	5	building.4	The	reading	of	Zeid’s	abstractions	along	these	lines,	well	addressed	by	Laïdi-Hanieh,	still	survives	as	an	art	historical	trope	in	contemporary	art	histories	of	Turkey.						The	representations	of	Zeid	as	a	subscriber	to	the	New	School	of	Paris	in	the	1950s	point	to	yet	a	different	aspect	of	the	politics	of	writing	art	histories.	While	art	critics	of	the	time	in	France	unsurprisingly	placed	Zeid	as	an	‘exotic	artist’	materialising	‘hereditary	instincts’	(p	144),	the	depiction	of	Zeid’s	artistic	quest	as	a	straight	trajectory	from	abstraction	to	her	alignment	with	the	School	of	Paris	constitutes	one	of	the	threads	that	epitomises	the	problematic	construction	of	art	around	a	narrative	of	(national)	progress	in	Turkish	art	histories.5	If	what	Laïdi-Hanieh	defines	as	‘a	process	of	artistic	maturity’	(p	122),	while	undeniably	constructing	Zeid’s	subjectivity,	re-enacts	as	the	making	of	a	canonical	artist	so	often	encountered	in	the	master	narratives,	it	seems	to	be	a	result	of	the	striving	to	reclaim	her	place	in	global	art	history.	In	the	1950s,	Zeid	exhibited	her	signature	‘kaleidoscopic	abstract	canvases’	in	New	York	and	in	1954	she	became	the	first	woman	artist	to	have	a	solo																																																									4   Ceren Özpınar, Türkiye’de Sanat Tarihi Yazımı (1970–2010): Sanat Tarihi Anlatıları Üzerine Eleştirel Bir İnceleme, Tarih Vakfi Press, Istanbul, 2016, pp 13–14, 143–44 	5   Ibid, pp 91–92 	Fahrelnissa Zeid in her Paris studio, early to mid-1950s Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	6	exhibition	at	the	Institute	of	Contemporary	Art	(ICA)	in	London.	Despite	her	achievements,	as	Laïdi-Hanieh	demonstrates,	Zeid	found	herself	caught	up	in	an	ethnocentric	if	not	a	‘nationalist’	web	in	some	of	the	Western	cultural	capitals	(pp	102–105).	Unfolding	the	differences	between	the	artistic	contexts	of	Paris,	London	and	New	York,	chapters	four	and	five	address	the	transnational	positioning	of	the	post-war	European	art	world	in	stark	contrast	with	the	way	French	and	British	critics	framed	Zeid’s	work	in	that	period.	As	the	chapters	progress,	it	becomes	clear,	however,	that	even	the	‘cosmopolitan’	New	School	of	Paris	eventually	proves	to	be	gender-biased	and	Eurocentric	(p	169).			Chapter	six,	in	looking	at	a	short	period	of	three	years	between	1958	and	1961,	traces	the	mental	and	material	conditions	of	Zeid’s	life	following	the	1958	revolution	in	Iraq.	Chapter	seven	looks	into	the	‘new	artistic	practice	that	she	would	develop’	(p	199)	in	the	following	years,	which	would	lead	critics	to	turn	from	ethnocentric	interpretations	and	move	towards	the	kind	of	readings	that	place	Zeid’s	art	inside	the	orbit	of	Kandinsky’s	abstract	paintings.	This	chapter	also	documents	Zeid’s	relation	to	the	important	cultural	figures	of	the	1960s,	including	the	French	novelist	and	the	Minister	of	Cultural	Affairs,	André	Malraux	(1901–1976).	Her	links	with	personalities	such	as	the	Surrealist	writer	André	Breton	(1896–1966),	the	co-founder	of	the	ICA	Roland	Penrose	(1900–1984),	and	the	art	critic	Charles	Estienne	(1908–1966),	alongside	her	fascination	with	the	art	of	the	old	masters,	including	Brueghel	(the	Elder),	Matisse	and	Bonnard,	which	are	ingeniously	laid	out	throughout	the	book,	enables	Laïdi-Hanieh	to	make	a	case	for	Zeid	at	the	locus	of	the	twentieth-century	European	art	history.					Puncta Imperator, 1963, oil on canvas, 165 x 210 cm Özpınar:  ‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’: Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid  Published online 20 November, 2018	 	7		Further	exploration	of	the	significance	of	the	prominent	women	figures	in	Zeid’s	many	artistic	milieus	–	including	the	gallerists	Iris	Clert	(1917–1986)	and	Katia	Poliakoff	(1895–1989),	as	well	as	her	sister,	the	painter	Aliyer	Berger	(1903–1974),	and	her	niece,	the	ceramicist	Füreya	Koral	(1912–1997)	–	would	have	enriched	the	study.	The	final	two	chapters	of	the	book	discuss	Zeid’s	later	works	in	terms	of	their	psychological	depth	and	spiritualist	approach	(pp	242–243)	while	weaving	her	‘late	style’,	as	termed	by	Edward	Said,	together	with	the	visceral	portraits	she	had	made	in	different	stages	of	her	life	(p	265).	The	book	concludes	with	a	reconsideration	of	Zeid’s	artistic	endeavours	and	her	legacy	in	Amman	where	she	was	based	from	1975	until	her	passing	in	1991,	teaching	art	to	younger	generations	of	women,	including	Laïdi-Hanieh	herself,	and	stimulating	the	1980s	art	scene	in	Jordan.			Such	a	critical	revisiting	of	Zeid’s	work	is	a	timely	and	much-needed	contribution	to	the	study	of	transnational	feminist	art	histories.	As	Laïdi-Hanieh	addresses	some	of	the	pivotal	questions	in	art	history,	she	successfully	disrupts	the	art	historical	tropes	on	Zeid’s	art	extant	in	narratives.	This	lavishly	illustrated	book,	featuring	both	Zeid’s	art	and	a	range	of	photographs	showing	her	in	different	stages	of	her	life	(as	a	young	woman	from	a	high-profile	Ottoman	family,	a	fine	arts	student	in	Istanbul,	a	mother	in	Republican	Turkey,	a	member	of	the	royal	Iraqi	family,	an	emerging	artist	in	Paris	and	a	teaching	artist	later	in	her	life	in	Amman)	further	elucidates	the	ways	in	which	Zeid’s	intertwined	identities	defined	her	distinct	style	and	process	of	art-making.	Bringing	in	Zeid’s	own	voice	through	her	diary	entries,	interviews	and	correspondences	into	the	reconsideration	of	her	art	offer	unprecedented	ways	to	help	us	further	comprehend	and	engage	with	the	artist’s	work.		___________________________________________________________________________  Fahrelnissa	Zeid:	Painter	of	Inner	Worlds	by	Adila	Laïdi-Hanieh	is	published	by	Art/Books,	London,	2017.	288	pages,	190	colour	and	b/w	illustrations.	ISBN	978-1-908970-31-2	___________________________________________________________________________   Ceren	Özpınar	is	the	author	of	The	Art	Historiography	in	Turkey	(1970–2010)	[Türkiye’de	Sanat	Tarihi	Yazımı	(1970–2010)],	Tarih	Vakfı	Press,	2016.	She	currently	teaches	at	the	University	of	Brighton	in	the	School	of	Humanities.	Previously,	she	was	a	British	Academy	Newton	International	Fellow	at	the	University	of	Sussex	(2015–17)	in	the	Department	of	Art	History.	Her	article,	‘The	Istanbul	Biennial	and	the	Reproduction	of	the	Urban	Public	Space’,	appeared	in	Art	&	the	Public	Sphere	(vol	7,	no	1,	July	2018)	while	others	are	forthcoming	from	Art	Journal	and	Art	in	Translation.	Özpınar	is	currently	co-editing	a	book	with	Mary	Healy-Kelly	on	feminist	art	from	the	Middle	East	and	North	Africa	and	writing	her	next	monograph,	which	investigates	the	relationship	between	art	history	and	women	artists	in	Turkey,	for	the	British	Academy/OUP.		 

‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’:Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid

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‘Why Not See Farther and Enlarge the Visual Orb’:Revisiting Fahrelnissa Zeid

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