Palestinian art is a term used to refer to artwork either originating from historic Palestine, as well as paintings, posters, installation art, costumes, and handcrafts produced by Palestinian artists in modern and contemporary times.
Similar to the structure of Palestinian society, the Palestinian art field extends over four main geographic centers: the modern-day nation of Palestine (consisting of the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Israel, the Palestinian diaspora in the Arab world, and Europe and the United States.
Contemporary Palestinian art finds its roots in folk art and traditional Christian and Islamic painting popular in Palestine over the ages. After the Nakba of 1948, nationalistic themes have predominated as Palestinian artists use diverse media to express and explore their connection to identity and land.
Themes Place Palestinian artist and art historian Kamal Boullata describes "place" as one of the major thematic components of Palestinian art throughout its history. Proximity and distance from the historical Palestinian homeland and the relationship between the artist and his current place of residence is the key element moving Palestinian art. For example, in art produced during the first decades following 1948, works created by Palestinian artists living in Israel are largely figurative, whereas those created by artists living outside the country are largely abstract.Boullata, Kamal Palestinian Art: From 1850 to Present Saqi Press, London, 2009. pg. 31 Before 1948, Jerusalem was an important theme.Boullata, Kamal Palestinian Art: From 1850 to Present Saqi Press, London, 2009. pg. 32 After 1948, memory of place and distance from homeland became a central theme. Even Palestinian artists born and raised in Israel explore alienation and a sense of growing up as foreigners in the land of their ancestors. The question of cultural memory and belonging is a recurrent theme.Boullata, Kamal Palestinian Art: From 1850 to Present Saqi Press, London, 2009. pg. 33
Nidaa Badwan is an artist from who created a beautiful space in her room where she could isolate herself and escape from reality of Gaza. She says living in a city where she "lost basic rights as a human being" inspired her to "create an alternative world" in her room. The self-portraits taken in that room during her period of retreat have won her international recognition. Alia Rayyan, director of the Al Hoash Gallery has said that Badwan is "talking about her own creation of the space, a dream actually, how life could be there, but this only works in combination with what happens outside".
Symbols Key iconic symbols are keys and doors. Likewise the cactus tree plays a prominent role. According to Palestinian artist and art historian Samia Halaby, "Liberation Art," or the art that resulted from the revolutionary period of Palestinian resistance that began in the late 1960s and continued through the First Intifada, "is symbolist, using images of things known to popular Palestinian culture – things that anyone experiencing Palestinian life could identify. The horse came to mean revolution. The flute came to mean the tune of the ongoing resistance. The wedding came to mean the entire Palestinian cause. The key came to mean the right of return. The sun came to mean freedom. The gun with a dove came to mean that peace would come after the struggle for liberation. Artists used the colors of the flag, patterns from embroidery, chains, etc. Village scenes, village dress, the prisoner, prison bars. There were special themes regarding the martyr. First there were generalized pictures of the martyr as well as pictures of specific individuals who had been killed by the Israelis. The second form was based on a popular practice of framing a collage of symbols representing the deceased's life then hanging it at their home or grave."Farhat, Maymanah. "On 'Liberation Art' and Revolutionary Aesthetics: An Interview with Samia Halaby"
Cactus The Cactus () has been a motif in Palestinian art since the birth of Israel. For Zionists, the indigenous plant became a national symbol of their birth in the land, while Palestinians saw it as an incarnation of their national dispossession and exile (see, for example, the Arabic version of Sahar Khalifa's Wild Thorns, the Arabic title of which translates literally as Cactus). The plant served the practical function to designate territorial borders in peasant villages. In summer, the prickly pear was a common fruit eaten by people in the region. During the 1920s, the thorny tree was incorporated as a symbol of Israeli identity.Boullata, Kamal Palestinian Art: From 1850 to Present Saqi Press, London, 2009. pg. 184-186 Nicolas Saig painted the prickly pear as one of the pleasures of the era.Boullata, Kamal Palestinian Art: From 1850 to Present Saqi Press, London, 2009. pg. 186 The cactus has also become a symbol of Palestinian defiance and sumud. Villagers incorporated it into a dance song protesting the 1917 Balfour Declaration with the phrase "Ya'ayn kuni subbara - O eye, be a cactus tree!".
The Dove
The Dove (Arabic: الحمامة) is a commonly used symbol in Palestinian art. Artists use the Dove to convey a message of peace, freedom, and a future following the suffering that Palestinians have experienced. The Dove is known for its soft and peaceful shape, reflecting a gentle nature. The dove, with its serene form, tranquil color, gentle demeanor, and softness, stands as the most fitting symbol to convey this message. Artists depict the symbolism of the dove in various ways, employing different techniques and compositions to convey their intended message to the world. Often, it is intertwined with other symbols and incorporated into diverse artistic compositions.
Anemone Coronaria
The Anemone Coronaria (Shqa’eq Al Nu’man) is an indigenous red flower. The flower grows on the top of the mountains in Palestine, and emerges amidst the rugged terrain, pushing through the cracks in the rocks. The flower's living environment, its bright red color, and delicate leaves symbolically reflect the blend of the challenging and harsh circumstances endured by Palestinians and the blood and sacrifice of Palestinian martyrs in their struggle for resistance. The reproduction of the Anemone Coronaria emerges as a fundamental symbol of commemoration, aiming to protect the national identity and legacy of Palestinians against the backdrop of the traumatic landscape of Israeli occupation, which involves the confiscation of their cultural and ecological assets.
The Jaffa Orange
The Jaffa Orange (Arabic: البرتقال) emerged as a symbolic representation of the Palestinian people, embodying the essence of the "Product of Palestine" showcased to the global audience since the 19th century. The prosperity of orange exports signified the prosperity of the nation. The Zionist movement in 1948 not only seized control of Palestinian orange groves lining the coast but also appropriated the iconic "Jaffa Orange" brand, along with the cities of Jaffa and Haifa, reshaping the orange as a symbol of the "new" Israel established on Palestinian lands following the displacement of its people. The cultural appropriation of Jaffa oranges symbolized the theft of the homeland for Palestinians. It encompassed the loss of orange groves, the loss of Palestine, the destruction of communities and national identity, and the loss of numerous lives. As a result, the orange became a poignant symbol of deep loss, reflecting the stripping away of a nation's identity.
The Palestinian Key
The Palestinian Key is a popular symbol used by artists. It has deep symbolic significance for Palestinians, representing the right of return for Palestinian refugees who were displaced during the 1948 war (Nakba). Despite the destruction and demolition of their homes, Elderly Palestinians retain their keys as a symbol of their determination to return home, back to areas of former Mandatory Palestine, and their rightful claim to live peacefully on their land. These keys serve as tangible evidence of their connection to their ancestral homes.
The Olive Tree Symbolism of the Palestinian Olive Tree
Palestinian Olive tree carry the symbolic connotations of resilience, health, ancestral ties and community. Researchers have found that the olive tree are tied into the Palestinian's Sutra, A’wana and Sumud. The tree is a means of survival and security, represents their bond to their land, community, and animals. Olive trees also serve as a symbol of their identities, which includes their physical and emotional aspects and their socio-cultural values. Palestinian people view the olive trees as the first witnesses that Palestine is their homeland.
The season harvest is referred to as, ‘Palestine’s wedding’ and is considered a national holiday where children and faculty members receive two days off school to join the harvest. This allows community members to gather and serve as a ritual that encompasses their values surrounding family, labor power, community and aid for other members of the community that do not possess land. This is practice through the tradition of leaving fruit on a tree during the harvest so that those who do not have land and are unable to partake in the harvest can still reap the benefits.
The symbolism connotation of resistance that is attached to the olive tree in Palestine comes from the displacement of Palestinian peoples. During Nakba in 1948 many Palestinian people were displaced and there was a massive land loss that included the loss of olive trees. Olives make up 25% of Palestine's economy as they use it to create oil, fuel, food and for medicinal products. In 1967 Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had seized further land territories in the Gaza Strip and West Bank where majority of the olive trees are planted. With new zoning, checkpoints, and illegal walls being build the labors had to seek permits to harvest their olive trees. As a form of resistance, Palestinian people would plant olive trees to prevent Israeli forces from taking more land and this has shaped the new symbolism of resistance.
Politics Before 1948, most Palestinian artists were self-taught, painting landscapes and religious scenes in imitation of the European style. Art exhibitions were almost unheard of. Notable artists of this era include Khalil Halaby, Nahil Bishara and Faddoul Odeh. Jamal Badran (1909–1999) was a leading artist in the Islamic style.Visual arts IMEU, JAN 14, 2006 Sophie Halaby studied in France and Italy before returning to teach at the Schmidt Girls College in 1935–1955.
One of the earliest artists to add a political dimension to his works was Nicola Saig (1863–1942). While most of the art in his day explored religious themes and non-controversial issues, Saig's work ventured into politics. Caliph Umar at Jerusalem Gates , for example, seems to recount a popular religious legend about Umar bloodlessly taking over Jerusalem and ushering centuries of peace between the local Christian and Jewish populations. However, upon closer look, the Christ-like stature given to the Caliph jab at what many Palestinians saw as divisive policies of the British during the Mandate Period which attempted to create friction between Muslims and Christian Arabs.
After 1948, Ismail Shammout, Naji al-ali, Mustafa al-Hallaj, Abdul Hay Mosallam and Paul Guiragossian tackled the painful memories of the Nakba showing massacres, refugees and clear political themes. Others such as Sophia Halaby, Ibrahim Ghannam, and Juliana Seraphim focused more subtly on questions of identity including Palestinian cultural traditions, physical geography, and a surrealistic look at memories of childhood reverie.Boullata, Kamal Palestinian Art: From 1850 to Present Saqi Press, London, 2009. pgs. 124 - 159 Political parties supported Palestinian artists to discover new symbols for the Palestinian national movement.