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Image Credit - Jagranjosh[/caption]Google has paid a tribute to the well-revered Iranian contemporary artist Naziha Salim through its doodle artwork. She is a painter, an educator, an artist, and an author who spread her influence all over the world.
She is considered to be the pioneer of Iraqi contemporary art and a genius who achieved much recognition from the Barjeel Art Foundation on April 23, 2020.
The tribute doodle featured by Google is a combination of two fine pictures where on one side Salim could be seen holding a paintbrush along with her work that depicts the struggles of rural Iraqi women. Even though she used powerful and vibrant colors, the despair of peasants is quite evident in her artwork.
The artist was born in 1927 in Istanbul, Turkey, and got her degree from Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Paris). However, her academics started at the Institute of Arts in Baghdad. In 2008, this legendary painter passed away and created a void in contemporary art scenes.
Growing up in a cultural family full of skilled artists, her home was her first inspiration for pursuing art. Her father Hajji Mohammed Salim was a pinter and on the other hand, her mother was a talented embroidery artist. She had a total of three brothers who were also greatly indulged in art. Her brother Jawad garnered much recognition as one of the finest sculptors in Iraq.
Salim is the first woman from Iraq who received a scholarship for her artwork and got the opportunity to proceed with her work at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts. Immersing herself in the art and culture of the world, this artist has absorbed a variety of styles and forms.
Salim returned back to her origin a started teaching at Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad as a teacher. She is also one of the founding members of Al-Ruwwad, a community of artists that study abroad and incorporate art techniques from Europe into the Iraqi aesthetic. As a result, there is a mixed influence on art and culture that is reflected through her art.
She was the front person of Iraq's modern art movement and became a role model for other female artists around the globe. Her artwork includes rural Iraqi women, women at work, peasant women, her own family, Mesopotamian and Arab goddesses, and many other aspects that emphasized women empowerment.
Some of her famous artworks are ‘Dancers’, ‘One Night's Dream’, ‘The Martyr’s Wife’ (part of the Barjeel Collection). Nowadays, her artworks shine at the Sharjah Art Museum and the Modern Art Iraqi Archive. There is no doubt in the magic that she created long ago is still relevant in the modern world and still inspiring artists around the world. Her precious contributions are still motivating other artists.
