Mother Ummi
My Mother Would Walk Through the Lava and Shattered Glass Carrying Me Smiling! … Mother’s Love is Unlimited and Unconditional. ~ Amer H. Fatuhi
In the Enûma Elish (The Babylonian Genesis/epic of creation), the mother goddess Tiamat bears the first generation of deities. She was the first ever known Mother. However, Ninhursag (Mama) is the goddess referred to as the creator of humankind.
Women were worshiped in ancient times for being associated with childbirth and fertility. The pictograph symbol of the word mother was among the very first symbols used in Mesopotamia over seven millennia ago. Personally, I see the mother as the symbol of fertility, the homeland, and every good in life.
Since I was in middle school, I have painted many artworks of my mother connecting her to the homeland, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the date palm tree, the dove flying in an open sky like a free spirit, the morning pigeon standing at the roof fence singing by my bed (Ku ku o ukhti) in the early morning, and every good thing in life. Throughout the years I used different styles, materials, and techniques. However, in my latest artwork Dec. 7th, My Mother / Ummi (in Akkadian) and (אמא שלי) imma shali in Hebrew, I focused on how to depict the ancient symbol in my modern art not as an inscription or a material of intent but as an expression and a window to the beauty of the soul.
The shape
and the visual elements are just there as the foundations of the work which are
derived from my Logogramisim style; but, what makes this work live and very
captivating is the unique composition, the playing with the space, colors, the limited
use of the austere texture, i.e., the top shape in different vivid red colors
similar to the house roofing and the eightfold star. Moving between playing
with green color gives the viewer the dynamic impression of the conflict
between stability and instability, playing with two kinds of clear and rainy
tile surfaces. The bottom brush strokes and the single heavy white stroke give
the base of the work a lively expression. To make the entire work more vibrant
yet quite stable, I added the bottom two small triangular shapes in light violet
and yellow to match the two top triangular forms with similar colors. Anyone,
whether an artist or a common viewer, will be easily attracted to the positivity
and genuineness that touches the heart and ignites an invisible aura of beauty
around it, and that is what a mother is all about.
Subject: Mother Ummi
Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas
Measurements: 30 x 30 Inches
Date: 2023
Price: $30,000
