Samir Rafie, The legendary artist
Egypt, Culture, 1/4/2000

Samir Rafie' is a major pioneer of surrealism in the contemporary Egyptian art throughout the Twentieth Century.

His contributions reflected an alogical intellectual flavor, happily blended with Egyptian local symbols and elements and themes of folk art representing the core and cry of contemporary Egyptian art.

He was influenced by many of his talented colleagues, the pioneer of innovation who later became the greatest Egyptian artists such as: Mahmoud Mokhtar, Mohamed Nagui among others.

Born on August, 15, 1926 Samir Rafie' lived in Cairo till the beginning of the second half of the century. In 1950, he won the first rank in a competition for a governmental scholarship to study history and philosophy for nine years at the University of Sorbonne.

In 1954, he actually moved to Paris. His scholarship was a pivotal point throughout the course of his artistic career and private life. He lived in Paris as a professional artist maintaining relation with an agent managing an exhibition hall who monopolized the marketing of his invaluable innovations. He moved then to Brazil, Mexico and Italy to study drawing and coloring techniques.

In 1964, he traveled to Algeria, where he participated in the Algerian revolution against the French. Five years later he returned to France, stricken with disease.

Rafie's themes ranged between nightmare like surrealism and elements of Folk arts and pharaonic legends. In his painting the form of man plays a significant role sometimes portrayed with a fish or a bird or a candle, others animals like cats, sparrows and horses in addition to the natural scenery far from being in form and content, his work depended on tangible expressions, symbols colors and intentionally distorted academic dimensions ultimately expressing a set of thoughts through popular intimations, thus creating a legendary atmosphere of all his works.

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